MEDCOM     ARMY  AKO          


UNITED STATES ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH DIRECTORATE-KENYA


 

 

 

ABOUT USAMRD-K

 

Our mission



     
  • Develop and test improved means for predicting, detecting, preventing, and treating infectious disease threats to U.S. military personnel and the host nation
 
• Conduct surveillance, training, research, and response activities related to emerging infectious disease threats.

• Partner in executing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

 • Support the AFRICOM Commander’s Health Related Theater Security Cooperation activities through engagement of nations in the region in executing our mission.



 

The mission of USAMRD-K is to develop and test improved means for predicting, detecting, preventing and treating infectious disease threats to military and civilians in East Africa.



 

What we do



Main Offices in Kenya

Kericho
 
    USAMRD-K Headquarters is located in Nairobi, Kenya on the campus of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).
The USAMRD-K Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases is based in Nairobi with numerous satellite collection sites located throughout Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Cameroon executing the Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (DoD GEIS).
The USAMRD-K Department of Military to Military Activities and President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program is based in Nairobi. The focus of this program encompasses HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, surveillance for influenza and other diseases that impact force protection and health readiness in the Kenyan military and research on medical issues of mutual interest.

Kericho
  The USAMRD-K Kericho Field Station is based in Kericho, Kenya. This program is primarily funded through the Military HIV Research Program and PEPFAR with the focus of developing drugs and vaccines for HIV prevention and treatment.
 
Kisumu
  The USAMRD-K Kisumu Field Station is based in Kisumu, Kenya located in Nyanza Province along Lake Victoria. There are five clinic and research departments to include Clinical Trials, Basic Science, Malaria Diagnostics Center (MDC), Entomology/Vector Biology Unit, and Malaria Drug Resistance (MDR) Laboratory. The focus of this program is to develop drugs and vaccines for malaria and other tropical diseases.

 
 
 

 

 

USAMRD-K Organization Footprint

 

 


 
  USAMRD-K is composed of US department of Defense, US Embassy locally engaged staff, Kenya Medical Research Institute and Henry M. Jackson Foundation Medical Research International employees.

Primary operational sites in KeFnya for USAMRD-K include Nairobi, Kericho Field Station and Kisumu Field Station.
 USAMRD-K is located in Nairobi, Kenya on the campus of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and is one of five U.S. DoD overseas research laboratories.

The unit was provisionally established in 1969 at the invitation of the Kenya Government and was permanently established in 1973. USAMRD-K Headquarters coordinates operations with the U.S. Embassy, Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché which includes the Kenya U.S. Liaison Office (KUSLO)/Defense Attaché Office (DAO), U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), U.S. Army Africa (USARAF), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and numerous Kenyan Ministries.

USAMRD-K collaborators include the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Kenya Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, the Kenya Ministry of Medical Services, the Kenya Ministry of Defense, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Navy Medical Research Unit Number 3, Air Force Institute for Operational Health, DoD Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System, National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Makerere University (Uganda), University of Buea (Cameroon), University of California – San Diego, University of Washington, Uniformed Services University IDCRP, Case Western Reserve University, Boston University, Louisiana State University, University of Massachusetts, PATH, Malaria Vaccine Initiative, Gates Foundation, Glaxo SmithKline, Aeras, Sanofi, and Pfize
    

 

 

 

Directors  Message

 



  •  
  • Welcome to the U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate-Kenya! It is pleasure to be part of this team of professional men and women who have made and continue to make great scientific contributions. In an interconnected world, timely medical product development and health surveillance plays a critical role not only for the health protection of our military personnel but also for the global population.


Research area

 

 

Our research areas fall into four categories


 
1 Immunological correlates of immunity:
 
Determination of antibody levels to merozoite surface protein -1 (MSP-1) in children immunized with MSP-1 malaria vaccine candidate antigen.
• Flow-cytometry measurements of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) specific cell mediated immunity
• Evaluation of secreted malaria antigens (HRP2 and pLDH) for quantification of malaria parasite biomass.
• Evaluation of a novel miniaturized multiple pathogen diagnostics platform


2 Molecular identification of natural traits that confer protection to malaria:
 
• Detection of hemoglobin variants by HPLC
• Detection of alpha thalassaemia by multiplex PCR
 • Detection of G6PD deficiency by PCR and restriction length polymorphism


3 Molecular genotyping of malaria parasite:
 
• Determination of antigenic diversity within the immunological determinant site of CS protein in populations collected in cohorts receiving CSP malaria candidate vaccine
• Determination of MSP1 and MSP2 allelic variants in populations collected in cohorts receiving CSP and MSP-1 malaria candidate vaccine
• Determination of MSP-119 allelic variants in Plasmodium falciparum collected in cohorts receiving MSP-1 malaria candidate vaccine


4 Basic science research:
• Studies on how malaria affects expression levels of complement regulatory proteins on red blood cells
• Studies to determine whether bacteremia that is invariably seen in children with malaria is caused by hypocomplementemia due to sustained complement activation
• Evaluating whether P. falciparum uses quorum sensing to auto-regulate parasite density
• Identification and functional characterization of genetic polymorphisms, including the Swain-Langley and McCoy blood groups, of the human complement receptor 1 (CR1) gene that may influence the susceptibility to severe malaria in Kenya

 

 

 

 


     
  • Nairobi offices

  • American Embassy USAMRD-K P.O. Box 606-00621, Village Market
  • Tel: 020 272 93 03

    KEMRI Nairobi,Mbagathi road
  • USAMRD-K, NAIROBI
  • Kisumu Kondele offices

  • Walter Reed Project Kisumu, P.O. Box 54, Kisumu,
  • Tel: 0733 792 651,0706 131 186

    Kenya Kakamega road
  • USAMRD-K, KISUMU
  •  Kericho offices

  • Walter Reed Project Kericho, P.O. Box 1357, 20200, Kericho, Tel: 0522030686/2030388

    Kenya 052 30686, 052 21064
  • USAMRD-K, KERICHO
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Frequently asked Questions

 
     
 

 

This is an acronym denoting United States Army Medical Research Directorate

Unit vs Directorate.


 

USAMRD-K carries out medical research by developing and testing improved means of predicting, detecting, prevention and treating disease-threats important to the US Army. USAMRD-K also conducts surveillance, training and response activities related to emerging infectious disease-threats.

What we do9999


 


 

USAMRD-K has it Kenyan Headquarters situated within KEMRI HQs off Mbagathi Road in Nairobi, the capital City of Kenya. It has two major field sites namely Kisumu and Kericho field stations. Kisumu Field station is located in Kondele area along Kisumu – Kakamega Road, with its Centre for Clinical Research situated in Kombewa off Bondo - Usenge Road, opposite the Kombewa Sub-County Hospital. Kericho Field Station is in USHMA plaza along Temple Road, Kericho town

Contact us


 

 
 
     


  • The Muriithi-Wellde Clinical Research Center (CRC)ical Research Center (CRC)inical Research Center (CRC))
  • Established in 2003, is located in Kombewa approximateEstablished in 2003, is located in Kombewa approximately 40km from kisumu
  • Kericho Field Station
  • Based in Kericho, Kenya. This program is primarily funded through the Military HIV Research Program and PEPFAR with the focus of developing drugs and vaccines for HIV prevention and treatment
 

                                                                  

 
  • Walter Reed Army Research Institute WRAIRR
  • African Medical Research Foundation AMREF
  • Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
  • US State Department
  • US Army Medical Research & Material Command
  • Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences AFRIMS
  • United States Center for Disease Control & Prevention
  • Kenya Weather: Kenya Meteorological Department
  • Kenya Medical Research Institute KEMRI
  •  Science and Development Network
  • Kenya Embassy in Washington
  • US Centers of Disease Control CDC
  • AFN American Forces Network Online
  • Kenya Web
  •  World Health Organization WHO
  • Cameroon Ministry of Defense
  • Kenya Government

 
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