Professor Tinto's inspirational talk focussed on his scientific journey from the creation of CRUN as the first clinical research facility in Burkina Faso, to the important role played by the unit in the fight against malaria in recent years. His team led the phase I/IIb clinical trial for R21/Matrix-M and was part of the phase III clinical trials of both R21/Matrix-M and RTSS, along with other African collaborators.
Prof Tinto also spoke about the need for African research institutions to direct their own research agenda and how important it is to maintain a critical mass of expertise within countries. Over lunch, he discussed what role early career researchers at the Jenner Institute can play in this process. Here’s to many more collaborations with talented African scientists taking the lead!