Observational studies
Although Lassa fever was discovered in the late seventies, many questions remain unanswered.
All clinical research has to first start with the description of the disease, its symptoms, the case fatality rate, population sections that are particularly vulnerable to the disease, its possible sequels, etc.
Some of those features of Lassa fever have already been described in scientific literature, many of them by the members of the INTEGRATE consortium.
But some questions remain. For example, the activity of the Lassa virus on host immune response is not fully understood, and a better description of this impact could help identify therapeutic targets.
Observational studies are of major importance in clinical research and help design therapeutic and vaccine trials.
In the INTEGRATE consortium, several observational studies on Lassa fever are ongoing, and others are upcoming.