Clinical Research

Trials and clinical studies that change treatment guidance

Mildmay Research Centre Uganda (MRCU) runs interventional and observational clinical research on therapeutics, maternal and paediatric HIV, mental health and palliative care. The work runs at a prequalified trials site, supported by an accredited laboratory and a multidisciplinary hospital.

Phase 4PREGART randomized trial
Prequalifiedclinical trials site
ISO 15189laboratory support on site
166,894patients

What this stream covers

Answering questions about treatment, safety and clinical outcomes

Clinical research at MRCU asks what a treatment or clinical intervention does to patient outcomes. It ranges from regulatory-grade randomized trials of antiretroviral regimens through to observational cohorts tracking long-term safety and outcome measurement in paediatric and palliative care.

This work is deliberately kept distinct from our implementation research, which asks a different question: not whether an intervention works, but how to make it reach people at scale.

Clinical research and diagnostics
Trials, safely runGCP-aligned practice, independent scientific review and on-site ethics review through MUREC.

Focus areas

Where our clinical science concentrates

Therapeutics and ART optimisation

Randomized evaluation of antiretroviral regimens, including safety and efficacy in pregnancy, and long-term outcomes of dolutegravir in children and adolescents.

Maternal and paediatric health

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission, first-line regimen safety in pregnant and breastfeeding women, and paediatric and adolescent HIV care.

Mental health

Depression and its bi-directional relationship with treatment adherence and clinical outcomes, and the integration of mental health into routine HIV care.

Palliative and patient-centred care

Outcome measurement in life-threatening illness, including validation of patient- and child-reported outcome tools.

Clinical trials team at work

Why run a trial here

A site built to take on sponsored clinical work

Sponsors and consortia choose MRCU because the site is prequalified through AfriTrials Connect and the surrounding infrastructure is already operational. Recruitment is supported by the hospital's routine clinical services, with eligibility and feasibility assessed for each study. Laboratory work runs through an ISO 15189 accredited facility that also serves as a national backup laboratory. Ethics review is provided by the Mildmay Uganda Group Research Ethics Committee.

  • Prequalified through AfriTrials Connect, with established start-up documentation
  • GCP-trained investigators, study coordinators and pharmacy support
  • Accredited on-site laboratory and biorepository for specimen handling
  • Independent scientific review before ethics submission
  • On-site, remote and risk-based monitoring with source data verification

Collaboration

Have a clinical protocol looking for a site?

MRCU hosts interventional and observational clinical research across HIV, TB, maternal health, paediatrics, mental health and palliative care.

Work with us