Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit (MITU)

🏛️ History & Affiliation

• Established in 2006 through a joint initiative by the Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), initially funded by the UK Medical Research Council Builds upon collaborative HIV research dating back to the late 1980s. The famous “Mwanza trial” (1991–1995) showed that improved STI treatment reduced HIV incidence—impacting global HIV prevention policy .

🎯 Mission & Vision

• Mission: Improve health by developing and evaluating interventions (especially clinical trials) for HIV and other health issues, maintaining high international standards

• Vision: To be a world-leading centre for research on HIV prevention/treatment and other health challenges in East Africa

🏢 Facilities & Capacity

• Located on the NIMR Mwanza Centre campus, MITU features a purpose-built 1,905 m² facility (opened in 2009) with modern labs, lecture halls, archives, pharmacy, and offices .

• Conducts rigorous capacity building, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training, MSc/PhD fellowships, and short courses via partnerships like Fogarty and EDCTP

🔬 Research Focus & Ongoing Projects

• Core focus: Conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies, applying findings to influence health policy and practice .

• Primary themes:

  • HIV prevention, care, and treatment

  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination

  • Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

  • Reproductive and adolescent health

  • Substance use/public health implementation science

Examples of active studies:

• Daraja Trial: reducing post-hospital mortality in HIV-infected adults

• DoRIS trial: HPV vaccine dosage reduction in girls

• Add-Vac study: male HPV single-dose vaccination

• Mwanza HIV & HTN Sleep Cohort

• PASS-MHW: menstrual health promotion in schools

• MAISHA-Youth: gender-equity violence prevention

👥 Collaboration & Impact

• Partners include NIMR, LSHTM, AMREF, Weill Bugando, and international funders like MRC, NIH/Fogarty, EDCTP Known for influencing policy: the “Mwanza trial” yielded a 40% decrease in HIV incidence and shaped HIV prevention guidelines .

• Ongoing impact through trials like Daraja (examining reduced post-discharge HIV mortality) .

📍 Location & Contact

• Based in Isamilo, Mwanza City, along Lake Victoria’s shore, as part of NIMR’s Mwanza Medical Research Centre

• Contact: info@mitu.or.tz, +255 28 250 0019, P.O. Box 11936, Mwanza.

✅ Summary

MITU is a flagship health research centre in Tanzania, specializing in HIV/STI trials but broadening into HPV, NCDs, reproductive and adolescent health. With robust infrastructure, long-standing collaborations, and a proven record in shaping health policy, MITU also serves as a key training hub for African researchers.