Dakar, Senegal – November 6, 2025. After an initial visit to the Pasteur Center of Cameroon (CPC) in Yaoundé on November 3 and 4, 2025, the delegation from Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), accompanied by Aviro Med Design Pty Ltd (South Africa) and Market Access Africa (South Africa), continued their mission in Senegal, where they were warmly welcomed by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) on November 6 and 7, 2025.
The purpose of this visit was to finalize scientific and operational discussions related to the implementation of the UTI-Diag study, a program designed to improve the rapid and reliable diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and promote the responsible use of antibiotics.
According to Professor Tobias Alfvén, Project Coordinator (Karolinska Institutet):
“Our visits in Cameroon and Senegal confirm strong engagement from the teams and significant progress toward the pilot phase. This is an ambitious project, but thanks to the collaboration between African and European partners, we are building a solid foundation to transform UTI diagnosis.”
Cameroon: adapting innovation to real-world clinical settings
Teams from Karolinska Institutet and the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun (CPC) worked on the protocol and visited several healthcare facilities, including Mbalmayo and Ebolowa, to refine recruitment and data collection strategies.
Dr. Rosanne NGOME, Head of the Bacteriology–Parasitology–Mycology Department at CPC, stated:
“UTI-Diag addresses a critical need. Rapid access to infection results, bacterial identification, and resistance profiles will greatly strengthen therapeutic decision-making and support rational antibiotic use.”
Senegal: preparing for a coordinated rollout
In Dakar, the protocol was refined and finalized and is now practically ready for submission to the national ethics committee.
Site visits, including at Dalal Jamm Hospital, provided an opportunity to further assess the logistical and ethical components required to host the pilot study.
According to Dr. Cheikh FALL, Research Scientist and Deputy Head of the Department of Microbiology at IPD:
“The pilot will help confirm the feasibility of the protocol across different clinical contexts. Senegal will play an essential role in the next stages of the project.”
These efforts helped consolidate methodological alignment and prepare the conditions necessary for the operational launch.
The UTI-Diag consortium includes
Karolinska Institutet (Sweden, Coordinator), Institut Pasteur de Dakar (Senegal), Centre Pasteur du Cameroun (Cameroon), Market Access Africa (South Africa), Aviro Med Design (South Africa), Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (Germany), Capitainer AB (Sweden), Aidian Oy (Finland), Pasteur Network (France), University of Cumbria (United Kingdom), Global Access Diagnostics (GADx) (United Kingdom).
Contact
Institut Pasteur de Dakar – Communication Department
info@utidiag.org
+221 77 835 46 43
www.utidiag.org
This project is funded by the European Union through Global Health EDCTP3 and by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).