Severe neonatal infections, particularly sepsis, remain a leading cause of mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, exacerbated by the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. The SNIP-AFRICA project—Severe Neonatal Infection Adaptive Platform Trials in Africa—addresses this urgent public health challenge by establishing a sustainable, multi-country clinical research platform to evaluate and optimise treatment strategies for neonatal sepsis.
SNIP-AFRICA’s overarching goal is to implement adaptive platform trials tailored to the sSA context, enabling continuous evaluation of multiple treatment regimens and rapid integration of new evidence. The project brings together a consortium of African and European institutions to build capacity, foster collaboration, and generate high-quality evidence to inform clinical practice and policy.
The project’s specific objectives include:
• Establishing a robust governance and operational framework for a fit-for-purpose trial platform.
• Conducting innovative clinical trials incorporating adaptative and platform elements to address antibiotic treatment of neonatal sepsis.
• Performing pharmacokinetic studies to optimise dosing of key antimicrobials to be taken forward in trials.
• Implementing real-time surveillance of neonatal sepsis and AMR trends to improve understanding of research gaps.
• Building capacity through training and stakeholder engagement, including families, clinicians, and regulators.
SNIP-AFRICA is expected to significantly improve neonatal outcomes, strengthen research capacity in sSA, and contribute to global efforts to combat AMR.
