Clinical HIV Research Unit

What Clinical HIV Research Unit does

Clinical Health Research Unit (CHRU), founded in 2001 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, is a non-profit clinical research organization operating as a division of the Wits Health Consortium (WHC), which is wholly owned by the University of the Witwatersrand. CHRU conducts clinical trials targeting infectious diseases with high prevalence in South Africa: HIV (including cure research and prevention), tuberculosis (drug-sensitive and drug-resistant regimens, vaccines), HPV and cervical cancer, Hepatitis B/C, and COVID-19. The unit operates hospital-based research sites across three provinces: Helen Joseph Hospital and Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital in Johannesburg, King Dinizulu Hospital Complex in Durban, and the Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

CHRU's service portfolio spans core therapeutic research services supported by enabling departments: Data Management (99% average data quality rate), Research Pharmacy built to international specifications, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, and a dedicated Recruitment and Retention function backed by Community Advisory Boards. The unit participates in flagship international networks including the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG, where CHRU is the highest performing and enrolling site), HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), INSIGHT, PanACEA, TB Alliance, and the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC). Its BEAT Tuberculosis study, which tested a shortened 6-month regimen for drug-resistant TB, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and transformed global treatment guidelines; CHRU also participated as the only LMIC site in the SNAP Trial across 14+ countries (published in NEJM and The Lancet) and enrolled the first patient in the ACTG ACACIA HIV cure trial in 2025.

CHRU is a grant-funded research unit rather than a commercial product vendor. Revenue is derived from grant applications to major funding institutions including the NIH, USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the South African Medical Research Council, EDCTP, and the Paterson Family Foundation, supplemented by industry and biotech partnerships that supply investigational compounds. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: trial participants are recruited through Community Advisory Boards, community outreach events, and direct hospital referrals, then enrolled and monitored at the research sites. Outputs are measured in publications and protocol completions rather than revenue per product, with research informing national and international treatment guidelines in HIV, TB, HPV, and antimicrobial resistance.

Name

Clinical HIV Research Unit

Legal name

Clinical Health Research Unit (CHRU)

Website

https://chru.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHRU is a South African non-profit clinical research unit that runs infectious disease trials (HIV, TB, HPV, COVID-19, Hepatitis B/C) at hospital-based sites, funded mainly by NIH, USAID, Gates Foundation, SAMRC, and EDCTP, with research published in NEJM and The Lancet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Site Data Management Support (EDC/Source/SDV Readiness) (HLAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM), Disease-Specific Global Initiatives (HIV/TB/Malaria/NTDs) (HLAJAOAE)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Infectious disease trials
• HIV treatment research
• Tuberculosis clinical trials
• Cervical cancer prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Grants and Funding: CHRU operates as a research unit funded through grant applications to major funding institutions including South African Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health (NIH), USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and EDCTP. Partnerships with biotech and medical industries provide access to patented medicines used in research.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CHRU conducts clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases including HIV, HIV-associated diseases, tuberculosis (drug-sensitive and drug-resistant), HPV, Hepatitis B and C, and COVID-19. The unit recruits participants through community outreach and hospital-based research sites, operates a world-class laboratory and research pharmacy, and contributes to global treatment guidelines through published research.

Product overview

The Clinical Health Research Unit (CHRU) is a clinical research organization that operates as a unified platform of research services rather than a single software product. The organization provides end-to-end clinical research services spanning multiple infectious diseases including HIV, Tuberculosis, HPV, Hepatitis B/C, and COVID-19. The service portfolio includes core therapeutic research areas (HIV Treatment, TB, HPV/Cervical Cancer, COVID-19, Hepatitis) supported by enabling departments (Data Management, Pharmacy, Quality Assurance, Regulatory, Operations). CHRU's research sites at Helen Joseph Hospital (Johannesburg), Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital (Johannesburg), King Dinuzulu Hospital (Durban), and Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit (Gqeberha) conduct clinical trials across these disease areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit: TB research facility in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Eastern Cape, focused on drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment and research.

Products and services

• HIV Treatment Research Services Clinical research services focused on HIV treatment in adults, HIV drug resistance, and HIV prevention, including evaluation of antiretroviral therapies and monoclonal antibodies within the HIV CURE agenda. Conducted at hospital-based research sites for sponsor-funded clinical trials.
• Tuberculosis (TB) Research Services Clinical trials for shortened TB treatment regimens covering both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB, as well as TB vaccine research, including studies on bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid-containing regimens. Conducted at Helen Joseph Hospital, King Dinizulu Hospital, and Isango Lethemba TB Research Unit.
• HPV and Cervical Cancer Prevention Research Research focused on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) treatment and HPV vaccine evaluation, along with cervical HIV-associated cancers screening and treatment, including the Women's Cancer Prevention Research Department. Program has reached over 100,000 women in South Africa.
• COVID-19 Research Services Clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment and vaccines, including participation in the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson's ENSEMBLE Phase 3 vaccine trial and studies on monoclonal antibody treatments.
• Hepatitis B and C Research Services Clinical research focused on Hepatitis B and C prevention, treatment, and management in coordination with HIV care.
• Data Management Services Data integrity management with experienced data management team achieving a 99% average data quality rate for clinical trials; supports the conduct of gold standard clinical research.
• Research Pharmacy Services World-class research pharmacy designed according to international specifications and run by experienced pharmacists and pharmacist assistants for clinical trial medication management.
• Quality Assurance Services Quality assurance department ensuring compliance with principles of research as well as sponsor, regulatory, and ethical requirements for gold standard clinical trials.
• Regulatory Services Regulatory department ensuring compliance with international and South African regulations (including SAHPRA) governing clinical trials.
• Clinical Operations Clinical trial operations using innovative technology and best international practices across all research activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% reduction in HIV/AIDS mortality through clinical trials leading to registration of over 30 medicines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Lead institution for the SNAP Trial, a landmark international clinical trial for golden staph bloodstream infections involving over 150 hospitals across 14+ countries.
• University of Newcastle (Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Global co-lead investigator of the SNAP Trial alongside the Doherty Institute, contributing to the largest international clinical trial for golden staph infections.
• Wits Health Consortium (WHC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHC is wholly owned by the University of the Witwatersrand and provides governance, legal framework, human resource management, financial and grant management for over 100 research entities including CHRU.
• University of the WitwatersrandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRU is a division of the Department of Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, providing academic oversight and institutional affiliation.
• National Department of Health South AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on BEAT Tuberculosis clinical trial; provided treatment sites and access to drugs; DR-TB National Clinical Advisory Committee advises on operational research and clinical management.
• AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRU is the highest performing and enrolling site in the NIH's ACTG Network, contributing to pivotal HIV and infectious disease clinical trials.
• HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational clinical research network focused on HIV prevention in which CHRU participates.
• INSIGHT NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational clinical research network for HIV and infectious diseases in which CHRU participates.
• PanACEA NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork focused on TB clinical trials in Africa; CHRU participates in pan-TB regimen studies.
• TB AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization working to develop TB drugs; CHRU participates in clinical trials for new TB treatments.
• TB SequelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB research network in which CHRU participates.
• University of North Carolina (Global Women's Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership between UNC Global Women's Health, CHRU, and Right to Care promoting equitable breast and cervical cancer screening in South Africa.
• Right to CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the research initiative promoting equitable cervical cancer screening in South Africa.
• AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHRU serves as an AMC site, conducting clinical trials for AIDS-related cancers.
• Global TB AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CHRU on TB clinical trials that contributed to changes in treatment modalities and guidelines globally.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with CHRU on TB clinical trials contributing to global treatment guideline changes.
• Helen Joseph HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain hospital partner hosting CHRU's primary research site in Johannesburg.
• Sizwe Tropical Disease HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partner hosting a CHRU research site in Johannesburg.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN):

Broad incumbents

• TB Alliance: TB Alliance is a global non-profit product development partnership developing faster, better TB regimens. CHRU participates in TB Alliance-sponsored trials; the organization is a broader incumbent that funds and designs the studies CHRU executes.
• AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Network: The ACTG Network is the NIH-funded global clinical trials network for HIV and infectious diseases, of which CHRU is the highest-enrolling site. ACTG is the broader incumbent ecosystem that allocates studies to CHRU and its peer sites.

Direct peers

• CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa): CAPRISA is a South Africa-based HIV and TB research center that runs clinical trials, vaccinology studies, and acute infection research. It is one of CHRU's closest functional peers in HIV prevention and treatment research in KwaZulu-Natal.
• Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ): CIDRZ is a Zambian clinical research and service-delivery organization running HIV and TB trials with NIH and PEPFAR funding. It is comparable to CHRU as a sub-Saharan African academic clinical research unit serving high-burden populations.
• Aurum Institute: The Aurum Institute is a leading African clinical research organization headquartered in South Africa, conducting HIV, TB, and vaccine trials across multiple countries. It directly competes with CHRU for global sponsor placement and network-based studies such as ACTG and HPTN.
• Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI): AHRI is a well-funded South African research institute conducting HIV, TB, and population-based clinical and translational studies. It competes with CHRU for global trial sponsors and network memberships in KwaZulu-Natal.
• Desmond Tutu HIV Centre: The Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, based at the University of Cape Town, runs HIV prevention, treatment, and vaccine trials in South Africa. It is a regional peer to CHRU in academic HIV clinical research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chru-za

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Clinical HIV Research Unit