Evandro Chagas Institute
Encyclopedia
The Evandro Chagas Institute (Portuguese
Instituto Evandro Chagas, or IEC) is a non-profit organization
which promotes public health
in Brazil
.
in Rio de Janeiro
reported that he had discovered cases of leishmaniasis
in Brazil's countryside. The disease had not been previously detected in Brazil, and as a response, Carolos Chagas of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute organized a commission leishmaniasis to be headed by Evandro Chagas.
In 1936 this commission became the Instituto de Pathologia Experimental do Norte, or Northern Institution for Experimental Pathology (IPEN) with a mission to study leishmaniasis and other regional diseases. In 1940 Evandro Chagas died in a plane crash. To acknowledge his work as a scientist, the government changed the name of the former IPEN into the Evandro Chagas Institute.
study, which was a clinical trial
testing the efficacy of a drug used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis
against HIV infection.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
Instituto Evandro Chagas, or IEC) is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
which promotes public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
History
In the 1930s researcher Henrique Penna from the Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
reported that he had discovered cases of leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
in Brazil's countryside. The disease had not been previously detected in Brazil, and as a response, Carolos Chagas of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute organized a commission leishmaniasis to be headed by Evandro Chagas.
In 1936 this commission became the Instituto de Pathologia Experimental do Norte, or Northern Institution for Experimental Pathology (IPEN) with a mission to study leishmaniasis and other regional diseases. In 1940 Evandro Chagas died in a plane crash. To acknowledge his work as a scientist, the government changed the name of the former IPEN into the Evandro Chagas Institute.
Research
The IEC organized local volunteers to participate in the iPrExIPrEx
The iPrEx study was a double-blind, placebo controlled Phase III clinical trial that began in 2007 following three years of community consultation. iPrEx was the first human efficacy study of pre-exposure prophylaxis to report efficacy data. iPrEx was sponsored by the U.S...
study, which was a clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
testing the efficacy of a drug used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis
Pre-exposure prophylaxis
Pre-exposure prophylaxis is any medical or public health procedure used before exposure to the disease causing agent, its purpose is to prevent, rather than treat or cure a disease. An example would be if a doctor gave a medication used to treat a disease to a healthy person who is not thought to...
against HIV infection.