Fighting parasitic diseases in Rwanda – Lazare Ntirenganya’s research aims to make treatments safer for children
Lazare Ntirenganya successfully passed his ISP review at Karolinska Institutet on 17 September. With a background in pharmacy and public health methodology, his doctoral research focuses on drug safety and interactions in the treatment of parasitic infections among school-aged children in Rwanda. Building on years of experience from the PROFORMA project, his work aims to improve the effectiveness and safety of mass drug administration programs.
Congratulations on a successful ISP seminar! Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your academic background?
Thank you, I’m Lazare Ntirenganya, I hold a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from National University of Rwanda and Master’s Degree in Public Health Methodology from Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. I have occupied different positions including deputy director of district pharmacy and pharmacist in a provincial hospital for five years. From 2018 up to date, I’m division manager of pharmacovigilance and clinical trial at Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA).
What will be the main focus of your doctoral research, and what inspired you to pursue this area?
My research project is titled “Pharmacovigilance and drug-drug interactions of praziquantel, albendazole, and artemether lumefantrine for treatment and control of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis in school-aged children in Rwanda”. The inspiration came from my previous involvement in similar research project for 6 years (2018-2024) conducted by PROFORMA Project, a project aimed at strengthening pharmacovigilance systems in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania and was coordinated by Karolinska Institutet.
I believe my research will help bridge gaps in drug safety and deepen our understanding of treatment for parasitic diseases.
The findings from the last project revealed gaps like reduced efficacy for albendazole used in mass drug administration (MDA) which contribute to the persistent high prevalence of STHs and public health burden. I believe that the findings from my research will contribute to bridge the gaps especially to characterize and explore the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics for drug combination for soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis control.
Are there any particular aspects of your project that you're especially excited or passionate about?
Yes, I’m really excited with pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacogenetics (PG) studies for drug combination, this will enable me to deepen and expand my knowledge, understanding and skills as a pharmacist. I will learn new skills and techniques for laboratory analysis and use of modern tools like NONMEM software for PK data analysis. The above aspect will shed more light and bridge the gaps encountered during my daily work especially during the review of clinical trials and pharmacovigilance reports.
Looking back at your ISP review, are there any key takeaways or insights you'd like to share?
Yes, during the ISP review and seminar presentation, I received relevant comments from experienced professors that will enable me to improve my research project towards the planned educational and research outcome at Karolinska Institutet.
Again, looking back during the ISP review, I learned that proper planning, system, defined milestones along with timelines are driving forces to on time and successfully completion of the program.
Lazare Ntirenganya's main supervisor is Professor Eleni Aklillu.
Co-supervisors are:
Emile Bienvenu, Professor and Director General, Rwanda FDA
Michael Mugisha, PhD, University of Rwanda
Jean Baptiste Nyandwi, PhD, University of Rwanda
The ISP was reviewed by Professor Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg.