About Us
Brief History
In 2003, Dr. Lovett Lowson’s set up a laboratory at the basement of Zankli Medical Centre in Abuja to support his Ph.D. research project. It later became the first of such laboratory for the diagnosis of TB and DR TB in the FCT. As a result, it supports the country in its first TB and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) survey in Nigeria.
Dr. Lovett Lawson retired as CMD of Zankli Medical Centre in 2014 and felt the need to explore new challenges. This lead to movement of the laboratory to an institution where it could continue to give the same or even better services.
As a visiting Associate Professor at Bingham University then, he rosed to the position of chair in Community Medicine. Zankli Research Laboratory was renamed Zankli Research Centre in Bingham University reporting directly to the Vice Chancellor under the pioneering directorship of Prof Lovett Lawson.
The Centre continues to enjoy support from IHVN and other partners through the NTBLCP funded by Global Fund. The center has trained staffs and capacity to conducting microscopy using LED FM, solid and liquid culture and Molecular detection of TB. It is the first facility to have a functional MGIT BACTEC 960 an automated machine for the culture of TB in the country. It was also the first to use the GeneXpert platform for the molecular diagnosis of TB. It served as a research laboratory for Masters and Ph.D. students both locally and internationally.
The center activities and international collaboration had lead to the publishing of several peer-reviewed papers and award of research grants.
VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the center is to metamorphose into an international research center of excellence in tropical disease charting new causes and blazing the trail on novel ideas that seek to accelerate changes in the health sector spectrum across the globe.
COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS
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Partnership and Collaborations with LSTM
The center has collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), via the awards of research grants implemented in Nigeria. These projects include The EDCTP – European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership: A multi-center research grant with Bingham University, Nigeria; Direct REACH, Ethiopia; The Inst. Of Phthisiopneumology, Moldova; FCSGT, Barcelona, Spain, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Also, we had TB REACH – ‘Increasing TB Case Detection by Engaging proprietary Patent Medicine Vendors (PMVs) in Nasarawa State.’ The project was funded by the UONPS and the Canadian government and implemented in Nigeria for 12 calendar months.
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Partnership and Collaborations with IHVN
The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) is supporting the laboratory aspects of Drug-Resistant (DR) TB for the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) with funding from the Global Fund.
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Partnership and Collaborations with NTBLCP
The center enjoys robust support in terms of training and supply of consumables from the NTBLCP being the regulator for TB program in Nigeria. As a result of this collaboration, the center serves as a place for training in capacity development and skill enhancement for the TB program in the country.
Further Partnership and Collaborations
We are open to exploring research collaboration with individuals and organization of like minds to make the world a better place through research.