slide_template: default

Faculty and staff of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) attended the three-day joint World Bank African Centres of Excellence (ACE) I and II projects workshop at the La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra from Tuesday, 7^th  November to Thursday, 9^thNovember, 2017.

The workshop, which brought all the Centres of Excellence in Africa together for the first time, was formally opened by Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana's Minister of Education. Addressing participants, the Honourable Minister expressed his appreciation at the selection of Accra as the venue for the first joint workshop for the World Bank ACE projects. For him, the choice of venue was a testament to the high standards the three African Centres of Excellence in Ghana are setting in terms of performance and results. He remarked that it was a clear vote of confidence in the strides that Ghana has made in higher education, particularly in the West African sub-region.

“I take this as a huge compliment in all that our country is doing right; especially in relation to what we see as its attractiveness as a preferred destination for higher education in the sub-region,”  Dr. Opoku Prempeh said.  “But perhaps, more significantly, I believe this is recognition of the fact that all the three Centres of Excellence that Ghana is hosting currently are among the top performing Centres in terms of results achieved.”

Dr. Opoku Prempeh lauded the idea of establishing centres of excellence in Africa that were purposed to become models for establishing higher education institutions as principal producers of knowledge, which would directly impact socio-economic development. He explained that the idea was one that was in convergence with the plans of government to put in place a  'Ghana Centres of Excellence'  initiative, which would create more Centres in Ghana like the three funded by the World Bank. He welcomed collaboration with the World Bank and promised Government's support and commitment to improving standards of higher education. Dr. Prempeh announced that steps had already been taken towards providing the conducive environment needed for quality higher education.

“I am also happy to announce that we are taking some concrete steps to enhance the entrenchment of the culture of high quality research in our Higher Education Institutions and Research Centres. In addition to payment of books and research allowance to academic staff of these institutions, government is in the process of setting up a National Research Fund,”  he said.

Also emphasizing the role of higher education in Africa's development, the World Bank Country Director for Ghana,  Sierra Leone and Liberia, Mr. Henry Kerali, in an address presented on his behalf, affirmed the World Bank's continued commitment to higher education in Africa. Relating the Bank's commitment through the African Centres of Excellence projects, Mr. Kerali explained that the successes of the Centres are leading ground-breaking research to bring new solutions to problems in Africa, a feat the World Bank was proud to continue to support. Successes of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) were highlighted, particularly in revenue generation, as Mr. Kerali pointed out a 5.1 million Wellcome Trust grant won by the Centre, beating 50 other proposals across the continent. He, however, encouraged all the Centres to look to improve their performance by developing industry relations, increase numbers of regional students they enrol in their programmes, and by enhancing regionality and sustainability.

The World Bank Task Team leaders for the ACE projects, Mr. Andreas Blom and Dr. Xiaoyang Liang, re-echoed the need for further effort even though performance up to the present has been impressive. Mr. Blom, on his part, stressed that the Centres needed to step up by ensuring that their programmes were student-focused. He explained that training experts in various fields was essential for Africa's development and, therefore, encouraged the Centres to direct funds towards training and academic development.

“Real development is when the skills lie in Africa, not when consultants and experts are imported,” Mr. Blom said. “We need you to step up. Manage contracts and funds so that they are directed towards funding students. Ensure they have the necessary environment to study.”

Dr. Liang was also concerned about the gap in supply of home-grown expertise within the continent. She underlined the lack of experts trained in African institutions of higher learning, even though economic transformation across the continent has boosted demand for specific high-level skills. She explained that education in Africa needs positive reforms to avert a crisis that is worse in Africa than in other parts of the world.

“There is a learning crisis and Africa has the largest share of children who are not in school. It extends to higher education as well, where challenges still persist. Higher education must be part of the reform agenda,”  Dr. Liang said.

She said the joint workshop was purposed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and, therefore, encouraged participants to discuss the challenges facing higher education in Africa and come up with solutions for them.

Challenges

Of the challenges identified, the lack of international accreditation for programmes run by the Centres of Excellence was underlined as the most pressing. Mr. Blom, Task Team Leader for the ACE I project, underlined the need for acquiring international accreditation for programmes as an integral Disbursement-Linked Indicator (DLI). He stated that a lot more work needed to be done in getting accreditation for the programmes and encouraged the Centres to focus efforts on getting the necessary international accreditation.

A plenary session on international accreditation and quality assurance was facilitated to give ACEs the needed information towards receiving the accreditation in fulfilment of the World Bank's DLI. Prof. Michel Cosnard from the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES) and  Dr. Joe Turner from  the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) both detailed the requirements for accreditation for their institutions. ACEs were encouraged to, among other requirements, clearly define an internal governance structure that suits their unique environments and ensure participation of all stakeholders in organisational decision-making; to clearly define programmes in terms of student admission, progress and qualification; and also to ensure a focus on students in terms of quality learning resources and participation in governance structures.

A challenge in student recruitment across all the Centres was also underlined, particularly in the lack of balance in gender and regionality. ACEs were encouraged to close gender gaps in student recruitment and to endeavour to recruit more students within their immediate regional areas into their programmes. In her report, Mrs. Adeline Addy, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer of the Association of African Universities (AAU), explained that although progress of enrolment was generally good, the proportion of regional students was still lower than the targets set for the Centres. ACEs, according to Mrs. Addy, had fulfilled 24 percent of the 30 percent target set for them for the year in review. Percentages showing the gender balance in enrolment, however, were not as encouraging. According to the report, of the 7755 students enrolled in programmes offered by all the African centres of Excellence, only 2,047 were female, a number that made up only 26 percent of the total enrolment and significantly short of the annual gender balance targets.

Targets set for externally generated funds and student internships were also of concern, as ACEs, save a few, were generally found to have fallen short of their targets. Ghana's three Centre's of Excellence were commended for being among the few to have exceeded their targets. The Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) and the  West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI)achieved 111 percent and 337 percent of their respective external revenue generation targets, with the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) leading the pack after exceeding its target by a massive 451 percent. WACCBIP was singled out for its exemplary revenue generation performance after generating $1,352,645 in external revenue.

Number of student internships, on the other hand, were still inadequate for most of the Centres. Generally, ACEs had managed to achieve 84 percent of the target student internship requirements. Some participants highlighted the difficulty in finding established industry players in the first place as a major impediment to fulfilling the World Bank requirement. Another common challenge was the lack of space for internships even in the few organisations that are established in the ACE host nations. A plenary session on the third day of the joint workshop, which brought in major players in industry on the African continent, focused on guiding ACEs in their university-industry linkage efforts. Dr. Ivan Twagirishema, CEO of Ngali Holdings in Rwanda, Mr. Richard Edema of Uganda MaCCRI, Mr. Daniel Redda of ARERI in Ethiopia, and Prof. Longbai Wei from the Zhejiang University in China led the discussions.

Parallel Sessions & Peer-Learning

The joint workshop, which was mainly designed to facilitate discussions among experts and the ACEs, as well as among the ACEs themselves, fostered  mutual  performance appraisal and peer-learning among the Centres. Parallel sessions grouped ACEs by area of focus and various discussions were facilitated by experts in the specific research areas.

Participants made presentations on their progress and shared experiences, challenges and lessons learnt. There were group sessions for various regulatory and governance-related discussions including disbursement support and financial management. Participants were also given the opportunity to hold performance and support discussions throughout the workshop. The WACCBIP team took part in discussions led by Prof. Michelle Niescierenko on the successes and challenges of the Health ACEs.

Sika Menka, Research Development Officer at WACCBIP, expressed her satisfaction in the general relevance of the discussions facilitated at the joint workshop. She was happy with the range of expertise that the ACEs were able to draw on.

“I attended meetings with the Finance team [of experts] and then the Monitoring & Evaluation team,” she said. “I thought it was good and it gave us the opportunity to interact with the new health ACEs.”

---

slide_template: default

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has announced plans to launch AAS Open Research, a new open-access publishing platform that will allow AAS-affiliated  researchers to publish without barriers. The platform, powered by F1000, a publisher of services for scientists and clinical researchers, will be launched early next year to provide an innovative and transparent way to showcase African research on the global stage.

One of the challenges to publishing research in Africa that the AAS believes AAS Open Research will address is the lack of a level playing field in research publication, where editors, who have control over what is published and when, may often be influenced by the varying perceptions of research from lower income economies as against those from higher income economies¹. Articles published on AAS Open Research, however, will go through a more transparent peer review process led by experts from around the world and driven by authors, within the bounds of strict criteria.

The immediacy and transparency of the platform will be particularly beneficial to early career researchers, who will have the opportunity to complete qualifications that will advance their careers and develop and sustain the skills needed to effectively share and discuss their research broadly.

Speaking to  Nature,  an international weekly journal of science, Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, explained that, although the risk of publishing on little-known platforms is a concern, the AAS platform will be good for African science as it will help to chip away at the grip of the big journals.

“Our approach has always been to spread our research across several platforms,” says Prof. Awandare. “So we will continue to do that.”

---

Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Prof. Gordon Awandare, has been awarded a £100,000 grant from the  Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) partnership under its  Rapid Impact Projects  scheme.

---

A medical outreach event organised by the West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens ( WACCBIP) for residents of Korle-Gonno, a suburb of Accra, on 21st October,2017 has made the headlines.

---

Professor Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, PhD, Dean of the School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences (SBAHS), College of Health Sciences and a prominent sickle cell disease scholar has led a 32-member team of hematologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists, geneticists, ethicists and basic scientists to secure a U54 Center grant of US$5.5 million from the National Institutes of Health(NIH), USA.

---

slide_template: default

TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Africa,  are inviting applications for implementation research that can cover a range of diseases, conducted through close collaboration between researchers and national disease programmes.
For details and more information on the applications please download the advert  here

---

slide_template: default

The Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology and the West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) were privileged to host  Prof. Dr. James Adjaye from the Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldolf, Germany on August 21, 2017.
Prof. Dr. James Adjaye delivering a lecture
Prof. Dr. James Adjaye,  a group leader for the Molecular Embryology and Aging Group at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Berlin) and the Director at the Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine (ISRM),  Faculty of Medicine at the Heinrich-Heine-University, Dà¼sseldorf  was the keynote speaker at  the departments' seminar series organised every week  for graduate students. Leading scientists are also invited to speak to students throughout the year.
Prof. Dr. James Adjaye interacting with audience

The seminar aims at gathering faculty and students for mutual discussions and presentations of their research projects. This build networks which encourage the creation of future joint research projects and the establishment of fruitful social relations.

Students present for seminar

Prof. Dr. James Adjaye  spoke on the topic “Human induced pluripotent stem cells as cellular models for studying gastrulation and applications in regenerative medicine”. He was enthused to share his research project which uses a systems biology approach to investigate the etiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which comprises a broad spectrum of disease states ranging from manageable stress as in simple steatosis to excessive stress, as in steatohepatitis. He also discussed related issues such as  Cells which can generate other cells/cell types and divide infinitely which is called  self-renewal.  On the basis of their origin they can be either  embryonic, fetal  (cord blood) or  adult stem cells.

He added that his research also aims to  redirect liver cells and reintroduce them into the patient's body to correct defects in the liver. In an interview , he expressed the need for the scientific community to be flexible and try to find different appraoches to solving problems. He added that the importance of his research to public health is to help tackle liver diseases and find new approaches in liver transplant which will no longer need liver donors.

Question and answering time

Faculty members, students, and staff  were given the opportunity to ask questions, which was an engaging session.

From left: Dr Patrick Arthur,  Prof. Dr. James Adjaye and Dr Samuel Kwofie in a pose

---

slide_template: default

Malaria has been part of  Gordon Awandare's life for as long as he remembers. Growing up in Kandiga, a small village in northeastern Ghana, he used to get the disease at least twice a year. Treatment was scarce. His grandmother would lay him on a mat in the cool shade of a tree and give him acetaminophen””if there was any. “You just toughed it out,” he recalls grimly.
These days, Awandare is in the vanguard of a fight against the parasitic disease that infects more than 7 million Ghanaians each year and kills more than 2,000””most of them young children. He is the founding director of the West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the University of Ghana, a center that in just a few years has grown into a thriving research hub studying malaria and other scourges such as Buruli ulcer, HIV, and tuberculosis.
Awandare's young age, 42, is remarkable in a country where academic seniority usually comes with the passing of decades rather than merit. But then, nothing about Awandare is ordinary. Seven years ago, he left a promising career in the United States to return home armed with a vision, some chemical reagents, and not much else.
It was need, pure and simple, that drove him from his homeland. After completing his undergraduate and master's degrees at the University of Ghana, there were few opportunities to progress further, either in his home country or in neighboring ones. The PhD system at the University of Ghana was archaic and could take a decade to complete. Besides, there was no funding.
But a chance meeting at a conference in Tanzania opened up a new world for the young scientist.  Douglas Perkins, then at the University of Pittsburgh, invited him to try for a PhD fellowship at his institution earmarked for Africans. Although the deadline was imminent, Awandare secured a place. He took a leave of absence from the University of Ghana and arrived in the U.S. just eight months later, in August 2003, and began work on his childhood nemesis””malaria.
 
Training abroad
At Pitt, Awandare studied severe malarial anemia, one of the leading causes of child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Academically, he says, he found it easy; he recognized much of the science from his master's degree in Ghana. But the way people interacted with each other in public took some getting used to. “The first thing I noticed was that people would walk by you and not say hello. In Ghana, you say hello to everyone, whether you know them or not.”
After finishing his PhD in 2007, Awandare toyed with the idea of returning home. But he didn't feel ready. “I knew that if I came home I'd have to win international grants. There were no grant schemes in Ghana.” Instead, he took on a postdoc at Walter Reed Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he continued studying malaria for the next three years, this time focusing on  Plasmodium falciparum””the deadliest of the four malaria parasites that infect humans.
As luck would have it, as he wrapped up his work at Walter Reed, the lab where he was based began the process of closing. “My supervisor said I could take anything I wanted back to Ghana.” So when Awandare shipped a container of his worldly belongings back across the Atlantic in 2010, it held not only the biochemist's car and TV, but also some lab kits, reagents, and hundreds of glass microscope slides. (Sadly, the slides were stolen out of his car in the Accra harbor after arrival.)
 

Homecoming

Back at the University of Ghana, Awandare got lucky again. While he did not have money to start a lab, his old department was moving into a brand new building, so at least there was space. He began applying for every grant he could find, hoping to establish a lab that could host lots of students. “I just felt that people needed to have the opportunity here that I didn't have.”
It took him two years””during which time he says he was running up a US credit card bill just to make ends meet””but then he landed two grants at once: a £150,000 ($233,760) award from the UK's Royal Society, to share with a partner in the U.K., and a prestigious $250,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), both aimed to transfer the lab work he'd been doing as a postdoc to a real malaria-endemic area. “We had discovered a receptor that was a potential target for a vaccine,” he explains. “But the work had been done in the U.S. on lab parasites, which [had] been outside of humans for a long time. I wanted to take parasites directly from infected children and see if it was a useful target there.”
The grants let Awandare appoint four master's students and one PhD candidate, create a lab, and set up field sites to collect samples. The NIH grant also allowed him to up his salary, which at that point was not even fully paying the bills. By mid-2013, the lean times were over.
 
Growing a powerhouse
In August that year, the World Bank announced a scheme targeting the improvement of West African science. It offered low-interest loans to governments in the region to establish research “centers of excellence.” Awandare's proposal was one of 19 chosen for funding, receiving a whopping $8 million over the next four years.
The birth of WACCBIP was not without drama. Some of Awandare's older colleagues were displeased that a young upstart was leading the prestigious project. “I was lucky that there were young people in my department who had worked abroad, like me, and who had come back after their PhDs. I had their trust; they knew I could do it.”

By August 2014, WACCBIP had grown to include 22 master's students and 15 researchers working toward their PhDs. That would be plenty for some, but an opportunity came along that was too good to pass up: the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development announced a  major funding scheme for developing African research leaders.
People urged Awandare not to apply. “They thought I was crazy. They said: 'Nobody will give you, an unknown, this type of money when you already have $8 million.' Even some of my collaborators in the U.K. told me it wasn't a good idea.” But when the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (DELTAS) Africa scheme announced its seven winners in September 2015, Awandare's WACCBIP was among them.
Awandare's international collaborators praise his passion. “He is most determined to mitigate Ghana's brain-drain in the life sciences by creating opportunities at home,” says  Justin Stoler, a global health geographer at the University of Miami who has worked with Awandare on several papers.
Currently, WACCBIP has an annual budget of $2 million per year. The latest funding injection has allowed it to strengthen its pathogen biology research, add a postdoctoral program, and embark on projects focused on human genetics. There are currently 34 master's students, 41 PhD candidates, and 12 postdocs associated with the center, as well as 32 local faculty and more than 40 regional and international contributing scientists.
WACCBIP has rejuvenated the University of Ghana's biochemistry department, says  Mark Carrington, a biochemist from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. who has known Awandare for six years. “The changes are enormous, it has gone from a slowly dying department to one that is doing cutting-edge research and attracting collaborators from around the world.”
WACCBIP's current funding sees it through 2020. Beyond that, it will be up to Awandare and his colleagues to generate more. Because there is little support for research in Ghana, most of it will have to come from outside. It's a challenging prospect, but Awandare says he doesn't regret leaving relative security in the U.S. for life on the edge in West Africa. He's where the diseases are, and where he feels he can make a difference. “Research needs to be anchored in reality,” he says.

---

slide_template: default

The 21^st  of July 2017 was a major milestone at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), as we graduated the first batch of masters students enrolled in the Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Disease programme. This 2-year MPhil programme which was developed in 2014 as part of the World Bank African Centre's of Excellence project has since received the full 5-year  International Advanced Degree Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, UK. WACCBIP is proud to congratulate all 16 students who graduated. It has been an honor sharing in their educational journey and helping them further their education. We look forward to hearing about their research pursuits, engaging them as alumni, and welcoming them back for further studies. Congratulations and good luck to the graduating class of 2016

A group picture of the graduating class with WACCBIP faculty

---

slide_template: default

The third Senior High School outreach programme  was  successfully organized by the  first cohort of the WACCBIP-DELTAS Graduate Interns.This outreach event took place at West African Senior High School in the Adenta Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region, on July 14, 2017.

Like the other two outreach programmes, the main purpose of this outreach was to increase  general  awareness  about the activities, programmes and facilities at WACCBIP to both students and faculty of the West African Senior High School.  Additionally, to motivate and inspire students especially females to enjoy, understand and pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics by connecting them with outstanding role models and mentors from WACCBIP.

The programme attracted over six hundred (600) students from the General Science, Agriculture and Home Economics classes. Also in attendance were six (6) teachers and some students from the General Arts Department who were curious and interested in the programme.

A cross-section of students and graduate interns at the programme

Welcoming and introducing the WACCBIP team to the students, Mr. David Addo, the Head of Science department at the high school, appreciated WACCBIP for choosing the West African Senior High School to host such an educative outreach. He also encouraged the students to fully engage in the activities of the team with enthusiasm and hoped that WACCBIP will continually host outreach programmes in the school.

Mr. David Addo, the Head of Science department welcoming the outreach team

The programme then began with presentations by the Graduate Interns on the relevance of science education and opportunities available, the  activities and research facilities at WACCBIP, and the fundamental  steps to follow in applying to the University.

Graduate Interns delivering their presentations

Question and answer session after presentations.

The presentations were followed by  a hands–on practical sessions on microscopy where students were given the opportunity to analyze and discuss the diagnosis of malaria infection by detecting specific malaria antigen in a person's blood.

Students going through hands–on practical session on microscopy

Mr. Edison Osei-Dwamena, the Headmaster of the school, stated that he was grateful  to the WACCBIP team for the significant knowledge and expertise imparted to keep students educated on science and requested for the opportunity for some of his student to visit the Centre.

The outreach team with students and staff of West Africa Senior High School

The WACCBIP outreach team

---

slide_template: default

There was high turnout and enthusiasm as the University of Ghana witnessed the second internationally recognized research conference of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP).  This year's research conference took place on July 6-7, 2017 at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana. The research conference was under the theme “Building capacity for high quality biomedical research”.
A group photograph of invited guests and conference participants
The two-day event showcased the immense commitment of WACCBIP to academic excellence and intellectual quality of young talented African scientists. It also created an avenue for presenters to interact and share their knowledge and skills acquired in their learning and research pursuits with participants. The conference attracted several keynote and plenary speakers from local, regional and international partner institutions of the center.
Prof. Gordon A. Awandare welcoming participants to the conference
The conference commenced  with opening remarks from the Director of WACCBIP, Prof. Gordon Awandare. He welcomed the esteemed group of academicians, scientists, policy makers and general public to the sharing of WACCBIP's research findings.
He emphasized that WACCBIP takes pride in achievements gained so far and will continue to be at the  forefront of championing Africa-led research.  He further asserted that, the conference will not only engage partners and stakeholders with student's research achievements but also seek to gain insight and feedback from them.
Prof. Francis Dodoo, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development (RID), chairing the opening of the conference
Prof. Francis Dodoo, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development (RID), graced the occasion as Chair of the conference. He congratulated WACCBIP for choosing a theme  that seeks to empower and train young scientist by investing resources in their capabilities.
He gave a brief history of the University of Ghana since its establishment and described that a lot of sacrifices had been made to sustain its existence adding that the Office of Research, Innovation and Development is proud to be associated with the success of WACCBIP.
Prof. Francis Dodoo advised that since a country's true strength is its people, governments should make conscious effort to prevent brain drain. He gave a hypothesis and named “the structure” of many African countries as a challenge thus the need to raise the bar for quality education. He said students should also be given international mobility as part of their training, as WACCBIP is doing. He expressed his excitement at the enthusiasm, commitment and the ability of WACCBIP students to espouse and communicate their intelligence to lay people.    He opined that having quality training in Africa can be improved through policy development and engaging industries to translate findings into practice.
Prof. Kwadwo Ansah Koram addressing participants.
Prof. Kwadwo Ansah Koram, Director of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research also gave brief remarks. He applauded    WACCBIP for training and investing in young scientists and was hopeful that more opportunities will be explored with the achievements of WACCBIP. He added that young people should be mentored and molded to sustain younger and innovative ideas.  He also called on government to develop a national research fund to support research as a matter of urgency, and to emulate other African countries who are making strides in supporting research in their countries.
Prof. Isabella Quakyi from the School of Public Health, University of Ghana
Prof Isabella Quakyi from the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, gave remarks on behalf of the President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.   She was excited about the conference. She duly acknowledged WACCBIP for its outstanding contribution to promoting the study and dissemination of knowledge in the sciences in Ghana and the continent at large. She encouraged students to take the opportunity that WACCBIP presents and thrive on this mission for national development. She also called on the sub-region to continue to work together across disciplines and boundaries in order to promote regional development and transformation.
Prof. Daniel K. Asiedu, Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences
Professor Daniel K. Asiedu, Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences also gave brief remarks. He acknowledged WACCBIP as one of the flagship units of the college that has pulled international recognition which the college is proud to be associated with. He opined that WACCBIP's vision is in line with the key role of making the University of Ghana a research intensive institution. He was also proud of the grants and funding that provide scholarships to students, resulting in the department of Biochemistry having the highest graduate intake in the college.
Mrs. Eunice Ackwerh from the World Bank.
In an address delivered on behalf of the World Bank Country Director, Mrs.   Eunice Ackwerh commended WACCBIP for holding such a prestigious conference. She praised the University of Ghana for having two African Centers of Excellence (ACEs) under the World Bank Project of which WACCBIP is one of them. She reiterated the World Bank's commitment to promoting regional transformation through education, health services and increasing agricultural productivity by building on science and technology with the aim of helping to develop economies, end poverty and boost shared prosperity.
She declared that WACCBIP is making giant strides in strengthening the capabilities of students by delivering quality training in applied research to address many of Africa's health challenges. She emphatically stated that, the bank is not only interested in giving out funds but interested in results. She shared some success stories of WACCBIP which included, leveraging additional funds in addition to the World Bank's funding, the first ACEs to obtain international accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, UK, exceeding the targeted 44 publications to 122 publications, partnering with 15 institutions internationally and locally, exceeded the targeted PhD enrolment of 40 to 41 students with an impressive intake of 39% females. She further added that WACCBIP's ability to attract and recruit regional students makes it a hub for leadership in health research. She was confident that this year's research conference will have a far reaching impact.
 
Dr. Oliver Wills from the Wellcome Trust
Dr. Oliver Wills, the International Operations and Partnerships Adviser of the Wellcome Trust shared that, Ghana has made an impressive development in technological advancement despite the many challenges confronting the continent. He was proud of WACCBIP's ability to build capacity and identify opportunities in mentoring young scientists. He also gave alarming demographical statistics that show that in the year 2050, poverty will increase due to population growth in sub- Saharan Africa, therefore there was the need for African governments to invest in scientific research to reduce poverty. He was hopeful that the next Nobel Laureate will come from Ghana looking at the contribution WACCBIP is making in science development. He described the theme for the conference as relevant and timely, given the times African countries find themselves in.
Dr. Thomas Maina Kariuki
Dr. Thomas Maina Kariuki, Director of Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA), officially opened the conference. He was delighted to be present at such an august occasion which seeks to invest in people and contribute to science research knowledge. He was appreciative of the energy and optimism that students have exhibited at the opening ceremony and reiterated the     commitment of the African Academy of Sciences to the development of science in Africa.  He was of the view that investing in people reaps positive results thus WACCBIP needs to be emulated.
Keynote address delivered by Prof. Fred Binka
The keynote address was delivered by Prof Fred Binka, the Founding Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in the Volta Region, Ho. He delivered a high-profile presentation on the topic “Building Capacity for High Quality Biomedical Research in Africa: A Ghanaian Experience”.   He made the assertion that, high quality biomedical research capacity building is very important and must be planned to achieve measurable outcomes. In addition, strategic planning needs detail costs and appropriate partners to achieve success.      He hinted that  Africa can improve on research capacity by knowledge innovation, investing in solutions, ability to communicate findings to the public, growing human resources and reducing dependence on international partners.
In his submission, he acknowledged the Navrongo Health Research Centre for its contribution to national and international policy making. He was however disappointed that the amount of money dedicated to research and development  by the government of Ghana is just   0.025 percent of GDP and 80 percent of inputs into agriculture, education and health are all from outside sources, which is very worrying to the survival of Ghana as a nation. He also acknowledged the role of the Global Fund as a major contributor in combatting malaria, HIV and TB burden in Ghana. He said a total of USD 911 million has been earmarked for Ghana and an additional allocation of USD 273 million has been made under their new funding model. On the way forward, he entreated universities across the country to collaborate and persuade government to match research funds they generate to support research programmes. This he said will help in the mandate of training world class health professionals to meet Ghana's healthcare demand.
Prof. Simon J. Draper
There were over 28 oral presentations and 26 poster presentations by Masters and PhD students and post-doctoral fellows.   The best student presenters were awarded prizes, which included sponsorship to attend an international conference.
First left: Prof Fred Binka, Prof Gordon A. Awandare and Prof. Keith Gull
Prof. Solomon Ofori-Acquah, University of Pittsburgh USA, giving a plenary talk
Jean Langhorne
There were plenary talks on both days by WACCBIP collaborators, including Prof David J. Conway, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,  Prof Miguel A. Valvano, The Wellcome Wolfson Institute For Experimental Medicine, Queens University Of Belfast, Dr Abdoulaye Diabate, Institute De Recherché En Sciences De La Sante/ Center MURAZ, Bobo- Diolasso, Burkina faso, Prof Solomon Ofori-Acquah University of Pittsburgh USA,   Prof. Ambrose Wonkam, University of Cape Town-South Africa, Prof. Mark Carrington, University of Cambridge, Prof Julian L. Griffin, University of Cambridge, Prof Abdoulaye A. Djimde, Malaria Research And Training Center, University Of Sciences, Techniques And Technology Of Bamako, Mali, Prof Ann M. Moormann, University   of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA USA, Dr Jean Langhorne, The Frances Crick Institute, London, Dr Kevin Tetteh, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Prof Faith Osier, Kenya Medical Research Institute-Center Of Geographical Medicine Research, Kilifi, Kenya.
Prof. David J. Conway, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The two day conference ended with a closing note from the director, who    expressed delight at the quality of the presentations and the depth of the discussions. He assured participants to expect more for next year.
Prof. Mark Carrington, University of Cambridge delivering a talk on receptor-mediated endocytosis
Participants were happy about the excellent organization of the conference, particularly the level of expertise and knowledge of the speakers. They were also appreciative of the positive attitude and willingness of presenters to explain concepts, and opportunities to ask questions.
Participants at the conference
In addition to the core funding from the World Bank and Wellcome Trust, this year's research conference received support from Carramore International, Merck Pharmaceuticals, InqabaBiotec and Primebiolabs Company Limited.
Dr. Patrick Kobina Arthur, Head of Training and Research, WACCBIP
Poster Presentation by students
 
Attentive audience at the conference.



 



Oral presentation by students

---

slide_template: default

The Francis Crick Institute and five partner institutes in Africa have today announced a fellowship programme to train African researchers to tackle infectious diseases in their home countries.
The programme, called the Crick African Network, is supported by a £6 million grant from the Global Challenges Research Fund, a five-year initiative led by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to address problems faced by developing countries.
This winter, the Crick and African partners will hold workshops in each of the African countries to promote the fellowship scheme and help potential applicants develop strong proposals. Applications will then open for the first round of fellows in July 2018, and we hope to welcome the first six African researchers in Autumn 2018. An additional 12 researchers will be recruited in two further calls.
Paul Nurse, Director of the Francis Crick Institute, says: “We are delighted to receive such promising talent from our partner institutes, and welcome their contributions to our existing research into infectious diseases.”
The Crick African Network aims to promote economic development and healthcare in partner countries by sharing the Crick's extensive experience researching diseases including HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.
This UK-Africa collaboration will provide successful African post-doctoral scientists with two years of intensive training and mentorship – the first year at the Crick, and the second year at their African partner institute – to foster the next generation of research leaders in Africa.
The network will build on partnerships between the Crick and leading research centres throughout Africa. These are the Universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town, South Africa, the MRC (Medical Research Council) Uganda Virus Research Institute, the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, and the MRC Unit in The Gambia who are also representing the West African Global Health Alliance. A research company found that Viagra is an effective drug of choice for treating erectile dysfunction in men. The effect is observed after the first dose. I use this drug only in combination with psychotherapeutic techniques that help to overcome the patient's insecurity in their sexual viability. I did not observe side effects in my patients.
The Crick will provide advanced training opportunities for the incoming fellows, as well as access to the Crick's state-of-the-art facilities to carry out pioneering research on HIV, TB and malaria.
“We are now in an exciting position to offer significant career development opportunities to high-flying African health scientists of promise,” says Robert Wilkinson, Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute and Director of the Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa at the University of Cape Town, who led the proposal and will direct the programme.
Prof. Gordon Awandare, the Director of WACCBIP who is coordinating the University of Ghana's involvement, says: “This grant responds directly to a critical need for us. Our postdocs will have this fantastic opportunity to link up with top scientists at the Crick, and get access to some of the best research facilities in the world. The best part is that this fellowship will help keep our postdocs in Africa and move them towards the establishment of independent careers at leading research institutions in this continent.”

---

slide_template: default

The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) on the 10^th  of July 2017 was privileged to receive a high level delegation from the World Bank (WB). This delegation included the Senior Director, Jaime S. Chanduvi, Practice Manager, Halil Dundar, Communications Officer, Kennedy Fosu, Assistant to the Senior Director, Marcela Gutierrez Bernal  and Senior Education Specialist, Eunice Yaa Brimfah Ackwerh. The main aim of this visit from the World Bank delegation was to learn about WACCBIP and also to interact with faculty and students concerning their experiences at WACCBIP and challenges facing education in Africa.
The Director of WACCBIP, Professor Gordon Awandare welcomed the team from the World Bank. Mr. Chanduvi thanked him for accepting their request to visit the Centre to interact with the students. Mr. Chanduvi further mentioned that their main aim was to learn about the Centre, speak to the studentsconcerning challenges facing education in Africa and how to improve these problems.
 
Mr. Halil Dundar, Prof. Gordon Awandare and Mr. Jaime S. Chanduvi
Prof. Awandare gave a presentation on WACCBIP which detailed the establishment of the Centre, achievements, challenges and the sustainability plan after the duration of the grant period. Mr. Chanduvi expressed that WACCBIP is a good example of what the WB wants to see in all the African Centres of Excellence (ACE) projects. On sustainability he mentioned that the momentum for the continuation of the project will rely on the government's ownership and commitment to science and research.
Mr. Dundar enquired more about the sustainability plans for the Centre to which Prof. Awandare said the faculty of WACCBIP will continue to compete for grants to support the Centre. Additionally, the Centre will engage the private sector to support students and research at the Centre and the government of Ghana planned to increase the research fund of which WACCBIP could be a beneficiary.
WACCBIP fellows and students shared their learning experiences with the World Bank team. These included the effective manner in which faculty at WACCBIP deliver lectures, the functional time table put out by the Head of Training which spells out objectives and deliverables, and the vast collaborations the Centre has with institution and universities across Africa. Challenges included the non-recognition of Postdoctoral fellows in the University of Ghana structure, procurement delays, cultural differences, language barrier for non-Anglophone countries which the fellows acknowledge were beyond the purview of WACCBIP.
Fellows sharing their learning experiences
Mrs. Ackwerh on her part thanked the team from WACCBIP for their kind reception and expressed gratitude to the faculty, fellows and students for taking off time from their busy schedules to meet and give genuine feedback on their learning environment at WACCBIP. Prof. Awandare took the World Bank team on a tour of the labs at the Centre.
 
Group Photograph
 

 

 
World Bank Team Tours WACCBIP Research Laboratories

---

slide_template: default

The Global Health Research Units has awarded a £7 million grant to create a new multidisciplinary Centre for Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (the TIBA Centre) after a successful open research competition led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).TIBA is a partnership between University of Edinburgh led by Professor Mark Woolhouse, OBE, and leading African scientists in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Prof Gordon Awandare is a partner of TIBA and a member of the steering committee.
TIBA aims to harness the expertise and technical capability in biomedical and social sciences at the University of Edinburgh and in African partner countries to reduce the burden and threat of infectious diseases in Africa. It is envisaged that this can be achieved by informing and influencing health policy and strengthening health systems. Our studies have shown that the most recommended dose of Cialis is 5 mg. This drug is a priority in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. High efficiency and minimum side effects. It is recommended for patients with minor hypertension. It also proved effective in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Read more at http://imph.org/cialis/.
Uniquely, TIBA will work on all aspects of infectious diseases management – from basic research to uptake by local communities – in a single, unified framework. TIBA will also contribute to the strategic goal of improving the health research ecosystem in Africa, providing a rare opportunity for different countries to work together in a common framework.
About 81% of the total grant sum is allocated to African partners and will run over a period of 4 years.Each African partner of TIBA will receive funding for impact research projects and training fellowships for young scientists.
For more information visit:  http://tiba-partnership.org

---

slide_template: default

The second DELTAS Africa Annual Grantees Meeting was held at the Fiesta Royale Hotel in Accra from July 3-5, 2017. This meeting was co-hosted by the Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) and the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) in the University of Ghana.
The DELTAS Africa Initiative is an independent funding scheme of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS)'s AESA, and supported by the New Partnership for Africa's Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD), with funding from the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). DELTAS Africa is a health research leadership capacity building programme funded to the tune of over USD100Million. The DELTAS Africa lead institutions are geographically spread in West Africa (Senegal, Mali, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana), East Africa (Uganda, Kenya) and Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, South Africa), with more than 20 other African countries participating as partners or collaborating institutions. Over the next five years, the DELTAS Africa Initiative will be dedicated to the training of the next generation of African health research scientists and leaders on the continent, through collaborative supervision and mentorship at Internships, Masters, PhD, Post-Doctoral and Senior Research Fellows levels to address health challenges on the continent. In the two years since its implementation, DELTAS Africa has recruited close to 500 masters, PhD and postdoctoral fellows, half of whom are women. This throws more credence to the fact that women are active players in health research in the sub-region.

Group picture of WACCBIP-DELTAS postdoctoral fellows at the DELTAS meeting
 
This prestigious scientific meeting brought together all 11 DELTAS Africa Grantees and associated institutions. The meeting began with welcome remarks from the local host and Director of WACCBIP, Prof. Gordon Awandare, who stated that the University of Ghana/WACCBIP was selected to host the 2nd Annual DELTAS conference because of the pedigree of the University of Ghana as an example of an institution that is prioritizing research capacity building on the continent. The Executive Director of the AAS, Dr. Tom Kariuki gave his welcome remarks and stated that “We are proud of the progress so far. Through DELTAS Africa, we are contributing to increasing the population of African health researchers and women scientists and providing the infrastructure needed to do quality research to improve health outcomes and to retain our best young talent on the continent”. Dr. Simon Kay, the Head of International Operations and Partnerships at the Wellcome Trust, also gave his welcome remarks and reiterated the Trust's support for health research in Africa. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu in his welcome remarks commended WACCBIP for their achievements so far and emphasizedthe University of Ghana's commitment to supporting the Centre. The Deputy Minister of Health, Hon. Kingsley Aboagye-Gyedu gave brief opening remarks and highlighted the Governments support of the Centre's of Excellence projects in Ghana. The Honourable Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in his opening remarks stated that “We are glad to be hosting some of Africa's best minds in Ghana, which shows a commitment from our scientists to galvanise resources to solve our pressing health challenges”.He then gave a rousing keynote address on “My life Journey from Cardiovascular Miracles to Political Leadership”. He told a story of how he was inspired to build the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana with no support from the government and went ahead to perform the first open heart surgery in Ghana.He stated that he will ensure that a minimum 1% of GDP goes toward the establishment of a National Research Fund for research development in Ghana. He finally charged all fellows to do their best to make an impact in their respective communities, country and the African continent as a whole.
 


Prof Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, delivering his keynote address
 
The second keynote address was delivered by a Nobel Laureate, Prof. Peter Agre of the Johns Hopkins University, MD, USA. Prof Agre won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins (water channel proteins).
This meeting themed 'Showcasing the best so far” allowed all DELTAS Africa programme Directors to give an update of their implementation so far.

Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director delivering his programme presentation
 
Some selected fellows also presented on their research work conducted so far. There was a special lecture from Prof. Agnes Bingwaho, former Minister of Health of Rwanda and the current Vice Chancellor of University of Global Public Health Equity. There were breakout sessions on science communication, financial management and Monitoring and Evaluation. The meeting also included poster and rapid fire presentation sessions from the Deltoids and fellows from the India Alliance.
 

Poster presentations by fellows at the meeting

Group picture of WACCBIP team at the DELTAS meeting

---

slide_template: default

Professor Peter Agre
 
University of Ghana had the privilege of hosting  Professor Peter Agre, a 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and the Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He graced and delivered the 7th in the series Vice-Chancellor's Occasional Lecture on the topic “Aquaporin water channels: From atomic structure to malaria”.
The programme was chaired by, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, with the support of Professor Gordon Awandare, Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, and the Director of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) and Dr. Thomas Maina Kariuki, Executive Director AAS and Director of Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA).

Professor Gordon Awandare
 
Professor Gordon Awandare, in his opening remarks warmly welcomed all participants and gave a brief history of WACCBIP in building capacity for malaria control by training advanced level scientists within the African continent. He made mention of the annual Wellcome Trust Developing Excellence in Leadership Training and Science (DELTAS) grantees meeting  which is the first time one of the grantee institution is hosting such an honorable programme in Africa and Ghana was privileged to host it. He thanked AESA for inviting Professor Peter Agre to the University of Ghana to interact with the University community and stated this as a stepping stone.

Dr Thomas Maina Kariuki
 
Dr Thomas Maina Kariuki, Interim Executive Director and Director of Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA), was delighted to be present at such an august occasion which seeks to contribute to science knowledge and research in the continent. He reiterated AESA's commitments to science in Africa to produce great quality scientist to inspire and mentor many young people.

Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana
 
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, was of the view that such noble lectures are essential and internationally credible for University of Ghana's goal of being a world-class status. He was enthusiastic that it will build a network that will identify more opportunities.

Professor Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
 
Prof. Agre shared his story of how Aquaporin was discovered. He noted that this serendipitous observation was made while studying human rhesus blood group antigens leading to the discovery of aquaporin water channels that control the cellular uptake and release of water in all forms of life
He shared the importance of water which is a major component in all tissues of the human body and other life forms like vertebrates, invertebrates, microorganisms, and plants. In his presentation, he described Water as the “solvent of life” which without it, there is no life. He enumerated that the human body is made up of two thirds of water, in addition the human kidneys filter and reabsorb about 180 liters of water every day which is why the discovery concerning channels in cell membranes was a big milestone in world history.
He further described that Aquaporin found throughout nature is responsible for the generation of all biological fluids like cerebrospinal fluid, aqueous humor, tears, sweat, saliva, and concentration of urine. In addition, AQP1 confers red cells and proximal renal tubules with high water permeability. Present in renal collecting duct, AQP2 is regulated by vasopressin to protect against dehydration.  He added that AQP0 is also expressed in lens fiber cells, and mutations cause cataracts. Brain edema after head injury involves AQP4 in astroglia, and autoantibodies to AQP4 cause episodic blindness and paralysis. AQP5 allows release of sweat, tears, and saliva. Glycerol release by AQP7 in adipocytes and uptake by AQP9 in liver which maintains blood glucose levels during starvation
Prof Agre further enumerating the findings of his research, he indicated that Plants are known to express dozens of Aquaporins, which makes their tissue distribution well preserved. He was positive that Aquaporins found in microorganisms may prove to be useful targets for new antibiotic development. He was of the view that Aquaporins which is also the plumbing system for cells are implicated in many clinical disorders including malaria which kills more than four hundred thousand children every year. To this, he admitted that his interest in infectious diseases especially in Africa has led to the investigation of Aquaporins in malaria parasites, malaria mosquitoes, and cerebral malaria. This he said has led to further collaborations with African scientist whereby the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) at the Bloomberg School of Public Health has set up a modern research campus where African scientists and visiting scientists study malaria drug resistance, mosquito insecticide resistance, and rates of malaria transmission. There is also an ongoing Fieldwork in rural southern Zambia and Zimbabwe. .
He ended his lecture by advising young scientist to take  pleasure in what  they do with interest and pursue greater heights.

Question and answer time

Students from the Biochemistry Department with Prof Gordon Awandare and Prof Peter Agre

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oduro Owusu, making a gift presentation to Prof. Peter Agre

---

slide_template: default

The Seventh African Centres of Excellence (ACE) workshop was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria from May 16-18, 2017. The workshop participants included representatives from the World Bank, Association of African Universities (AAU), and the 22 ACEs in West and Central Africa. The delegation from the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) included Prof. Gordon Awandare (Centre Leader), Prof. Kwadwo Koram (Deputy Centre Leader), Dr. Patrick Kobina Arthur (Head, Training and Research), Mr. Michael Somuah Nkansah (Project Manager), and Ms. Sika Menka (M & E focal person).
Welcome addresses were delivered by Mr. Andreas Blom (World Bank Task Team Leader) and Prof Etienne Ehile (AAU Secretary General). The opening addresses were given by Dr. Rachid Benmessaoud (World Bank Country Director), Prof. Hamidou Boly (ECOWAS Commissioner for Education, Science & Culture), and Prof. Adamu Rasheed (The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission). The Nigerian Hon. Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, officially opened the workshop.
A progress report on the status of the ACE projects, an update on disbursement of funds and budget execution were presented by the AAU and World Bank representatives. All ACEs were also updated on the summary of mid-term findings by the World Bank team. During a plenary session on Partnerships, representatives from the Dangote Foundation, Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science (DELTAS) Africa, Department for International Development (DFID), International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the German Research Foundation (DFG), shared with the ACEs how they could develop industry partnerships.
There were parallel presentations by the 22 ACEs in three breakout sessions (STEM, Health and Agriculture). During the health session, each ACE presented a brief status update and outlined the management, university engagement, and teaching & research activities at their respective centres. The Director of WACCBIP, Prof. Gordon Awandare took other ACEs through a session on task and budget execution, as WACCBIP was identified as the ACE with the best task and budget execution. In a parallel session, the Head of Training & Research at WACCBIP, Dr. Patrick Arthur, also took the other ACEs through WACCBIPs International Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, UK experience. Other issues on the verification of results and Monitoring & Evaluation were discussed.
On the last day of the workshop, Mr. Andreas Blom took the teams through the modalities for  ACE  III. He stated that interested countries will request for participation by August 2017, and then submit concept notes by September 2017. The call for proposals will be launched in April 2018, with the stage process selection completed by August 2018, negotiations will begin in September 2018 and finally the World Bank Board will decide selected countries by December 2018. On improvements to the ACE III model, broader fields including economics and engineering will be included. Mr Blom also stated that companies & employers in the management, funding and supervision structure will also be incorporated from the start.
Lastly, on details of the next steps, there will be ACE audio meetings on July 6 and September 13, 2017. Country level or Centres procurement workshops in August 2017, supervision missions to selected ACEs in September/October, 2017 and the joint ACEs I and III workshop in Ghana in November 2017. He further mentioned a possible one year no cost extension to the current ACE model and provide additional support to 5-7 of the highly performing ACE centers.
The workshop wrapped up with an evaluation survey of the workshop. The seventh ACE project workshop will take place in November 2017 in Ghana.

The WACCBIP team at the ACE workshop

---

slide_template: default

The world acclaimed Malaria Experimental Genome Course which is delivered by Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, United Kingdom (UK), has been held at University of Ghana. The five (5) day African regional course on Experimental Genetics Malaria was organized by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in collaboration with West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) from April 30-May 5, 2017.

A  group photograph of participants and facilitators
The aim of this workshop was to give participants a working knowledge in cutting edge laboratory-based  Plasmodiumexperimental genetics techniques, from designing gene targeting vectors and creating transgenic parasites, to phenotyping the strains produced. This is only the second time the course has been delivered outside the UK, and the first time it is being held in Africa.
The course was taught by Prof Oliver Billker, Drs Julian Rayner, Marcus Lee, Ellen Bushell, Theo Sanderson, Mehdi Ghorbal Rachel Coyle all from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and was supported by Prof. Gordon Awandare, Dr Yaw Aniweh, Dr Daniel Kiboi from WACCBIP, Dr Amy Kristine Bei from Harvard Malaria Initiative, University Cheikh Anta Diop and Dr Alfred Amambua-Ngwa from Medical Research Council Unit (MRC), The Gambia.
The workshop attracted young scientists and clinicians from Africa namely Ghana, Nigeria, the Gambia, Gabon, Kenya, Sudan, Cameroon and Malawi. In attendance at the opening ceremony were also faculty members and postdoctoral fellows under the Wellcome Trust DELTAS African initiative.

Prof Gordon A. Awandare welcoming participants to the training programme.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Gordon Awandare, the Head of Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (BCMB) and the Director of WACCBIP, warmly welcomed all participants and threw more light on the importance of the course. He emphasized that the Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Malaria Experimental Genetics course is a remarkable programme that reflects the excellent and in-depth commitment the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have in malaria research across the world, thus WACCBIP is proud to be associated with such a worthy course. Prof Awandare enumerated the increasing and remarkable impact WACCBIP has made in Africa and said WACCBIP has become a home for all young African scientists. He also added that, the centre's door is always open for collaborative research in infectious diseases.
He further reiterated WACCBIP's commitment to significant initiatives that will strengthen capacity for malaria control by training advanced level scientists within the African continent. He was much honored to receive participants from across Africa to engage in hands-on training in cutting-edge Plasmodium experimental genetics techniques. He therefore encouraged participants to fully engage in each practical session which will be stimulating and thought-provoking.
 

Prof. Matilda Steiner Asiedu, Dean for School of Biological Science, also gave brief remarks.   She acknowledged the collaboration between WACCBIP and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute as one that will provide technical leadership to achieve quality health care goals. She further explained that this initiative was crucial because Africa has rapidly evolved with rising patient expectations for quality health care. She was of the view that increased malaria infection affects nutrition and was optimistic that this workshop will help participants to influence governmental policies in their various countries. She therefore challenged the College of Health Sciences not only to train highly skilled professionals but professionals of change in providing quality healthcare.

The Director of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Prof. Kwadwo Ansah Koram also graced the occasion with some brief remarks on the Institute's commitment to research on national health priorities. Prof Koram commended WACCBIP for being a hub for science research and hoped that topics taught during the course will translate into achieving a possible malaria vaccine.   He called on participants to network and explore other opportunities available at the University of Ghana.

Dr. Oliver Billker from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and also a lead instructor for the course gave a keynote address. He appreciated WACCBIP for receiving the Sanger team and appreciated the successive exchanges between WACCBIP and Sanger which has built a trustworthy relationship. He further added that the theme for the course was relevant to the achievement of learning  Plasmodium  genome modification which will build participants' confidence and develop malaria research.

Dr Julian Rayner, senior group leader of the Malaria Programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, also thanked the partners of the programme and said the aim of the course was to facilitate participants' own research careers by exposing them to state-of-the-art experimental approaches in malaria genetics. He gave a brief history of the Sanger institute and its impact over the past twenty five years (25), which has been a remarkable journey. He further explained that the
Sanger group also aims at “Connecting Science” which means bringing together professional scientists to enable them spread the tools and skills of genomic science. He added that, “We want to create a generation of scientists who will lead Africa's transformation”.
 

 
Prof. Ama de-Graft Aikins, Dean of International Programmes and Professor of Social Psychology at the Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana, also acknowledged WACCBIP for training and investing in young scientists.
This she said, was essential and internationally credible for University of Ghana's goal of giving opportunities to build a network that will identify and solve Africa's worst nightmare which is malaria.   She again added that the International Programmes Office is privileged to be associated with the first ever Wellcome Genome Campus Advanced Overseas Course in Africa and welcomed all participants to fully engage with the resource persons.
 

Prof George Obeng Adjei, Director of Research at the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) at the University of Ghana, was excited about the programme and observed that malaria research has been one of ORID's focal area and as such his office is proud to be associated with this training.   He also added that the caliber of scientists present with varied expertise at this training will not only propel malaria research to its highest peak but will improve participants skills in the knowledge, control, prevention, and management of other infectious diseases.

The opening of the training programme was chaired by the Provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Professor Daniel K. Asiedu. He officially opened the programme by acknowledging that one of the college's greatest assets was WACCBIP, and that the college was proud to be associated with its achievements which is in line with the key role of making the University of Ghana a research intensive institution. He was proud of the grants and funding that provide scholarships to students, making BCMB have the highest graduate intake in the college. He encouraged the students to “take advantage of the training to become the kind of experts Africa needs” and that, this training will serve as a useful tool to establish and strengthen training activities in Ghana, where malaria is endemic. He concluded by urging the University of Ghana and Sanger Institute to strengthen their collaborative efforts and hold more joint courses.

Participants were then engaged in scientific sessions, where they received lectures and laboratory sessions on CRISPR/Cas9 vector generation,  P falciparum  transfections, P. knowlesi transfections, Genotyping and Phenotyping including Invasion assays, Drug assays and RNA sequencing.
 

There were also question and answer sessions where participants shared pertinent ideas and knowledge that would inform the direction and progress of their training and help achieve the objectives of the workshop.











Participants sharing ideas
 


 

 

 
View all photos from the Course on our  WACCBIP  Facebook Page

---