Our mission is to promote clinical research, particularly in regions or countries where the practice of medicine coexists with the use of traditional remedies. This organization that seeks to promote clinical research beyond borders is inspired by the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) model. MSF works to make medical care accessible to low-income populations. Similarly, the cost of clinical research prevents these communities from addressing research questions that emerge from their history and traditional practices. We aim to create training programs and to initiate local clinical trials that can validate traditional therapies. With the goal of standardizing traditional therapies, we create opportunities and models for the participation of local researchers and patients in studies conducted at centers operating beyond their borders.
Current challenges in clinical research on traditional therapies.
Certain types of tests or analyses are not available locally. The absence of a review committee and an approval mechanism for the therapies under study constitutes a major obstacle. CSI is working on the creation and management of these committees in accordance with local and international regulations or requirements.
Economic impact
The validation of traditional therapies can stimulate agricultural production linked to healthcare demand. Even prior to clinical validation, the need for substantial quantities of natural products can encourage local production and thus contribute to economic development.
Qu’est-ce qu’un essai clinique
www.aphp.fr/recherche-et-innovation/je-suis-patient/quest-ce-quun-essai-clinique
Nature and its biodiversity have been a source of therapies for humankind for over 30,000 years.
Nature and its biodiversity are among the greatest reservoirs of therapeutic molecules and, historically, the largest source of inspiration for the development of modern medicines. Nature represents the most accessible reserve of therapeutic potential for disadvantaged populations. This is evidenced by the extensive documentation of traditional medicines in scientific journals focusing on natural products, functional foods, and even ethnology.
However, major investments in biodiversity protection in so-called disadvantaged regions are often not accompanied by financial support for the clinical validation of therapeutic observations derived from traditional treatments, nor for their transformation into standards of practice that could ensure their routine use in clinical settings.
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Une validation pour une maladie donnée pourrait inspirer des hypothèses sur l’expansion de l’usage de la thérapie au traitement de maladies autres que celles de l’indication traditionnelle. Cette situation qui retarde l’avènement de percées scientifiques en faveur de ces populations défavorisées pourrait avoir quatre causes principales : (1) l’absence d’organisations concertant leurs efforts dans le domaine de la translation thérapeutique des observations rapportées , (2) l’absence de regroupement ou de concertation autour du sujet entre les membres du personnel médical dans divers hôpitaux de la même région, (3) l’absence dans ces régions d’infrastructure pour des validations précliniques et cliniques, (4) l’hésitation à lancer des essais cliniques très coûteux sur la base d’usages traditionnels non étayés par des données scientifiques préliminaires.
L’objectif principal de Sciences Cliniques internationales-Clinical Sciences International-Scienze cliniche internationali est d’aider à surmonter ces obstacles en soutenant financièrement les projets de recherche visant : (1) à former les acteurs locaux aux principes de recherche clinique, (2) à établir ou répertorier des comités d’experts pour évaluer la conformité des essais à la bonne pratique clinique, (3) créer et établir des groupes ou comités de pair institutionnels capables de garantir l’approbation des propositions d’essais cliniques selon les standards de niveau international, (4) établir la capacité informatique et biostatistique pour stocker et analyser les données de manière sécuritaire.