The ARISE consortium established an inter-agency and multidisciplinary staff exchange programme between researchers and other staff members among the partners. This programme fostered the sharing of best practices in Newborn Screening, diagnosis, and treatment of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), leading to improvements in overall disease outcomes. A large secondment plan enabled collaborative research and training initiatives, covering the following areas: analysis of SCD prevalence in consortium member countries and identification of specific haemoglobin genotypes and phenotypic presentations; establishment of laboratory diagnosis and quality assurance systems for population screening; development of national SCD prevention programmes; newborn and infant screening for early diagnosis of SCD; treatment protocols for the management of common SCD complications; transition from paediatric to adult care; and health promotion and nutrition strategies.

ROLE OF THE FOUNDATION
The Foundation was responsible for the Scientific Coordination and Project Management of ARISE, in collaboration with Guy's & St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (UK). The Foundation led the WP2 activities aimed at implementing eHealth technologies to support a newborn screening programme in Kenya, Nigeria, and Lebanon, and oversaw all ethical requirements of the project (WP8).

FUNDED BY: H2020-MSCA-RISE-2018, GA 824021, 2019-24 (www.cordis.europa.eu/project/id/824021).

DURATION: January 2019 - October 2024

PARTNERS:

• Fondazione per la Ricerca Farmacologica Gianni Benzi - ETS, Italy (coordinator)
• Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
• Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital
• American University of Beirut, Lebanon
• Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
• Guy’s & St. Thomas’ Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
• Health Research Center of Angola
• Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, France
• Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Portugal
• International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria – IFAIN, Nigeria
• Kaduna State Assembly, Nigeria
• Kaduna State University, Nigeria
• Lagos State University, Nigeria
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
• Ministry of Health/ University Teaching Hospitals-Children’s Hospital
• PANAF schools, Nigeria
• Sickle Cell Cohort Research – Score Foundation, Nigeria
• Strathmore University, Kenya
• The Cyprus Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy Research, Cyprus
• The Royal College of Pathologists, UK
• Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”
• University College London, UK
• University of Abuja, Nigeria
• University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
• University of Ilorin, Nigeria
• University of Padova, Italy
• University of Udine
• Zankli Medical Centre, Nigeria