Launching a Drug Discovery Hub in Ghana

In June 2022, WCAIR visited our partners in Accra to officially launch their Drug Discovery Hub.

Having worked together for a number of years, a group of institutions decided to develop a drug discovery hub. While lots of research was being undertaken in different institutes in Ghana, new funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has allowed them to start developing a multi-centre, multi-disciplinary hub which addresses chemical, biological and pharmacological needs to develop new drugs. Led by Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu from the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research and Dr Richard Amewu from the University of Ghana, the initial focus of this project is malaria, however many of the skills and platforms developed will be applicable to any disease area.

Partners in this initiative include WCAIR, the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and LGenia.

Partners of the Drug Discovery Hub in Ghana, standing behind the launch poster
The Launch Meeting.
L-R: Prof. Ian Gilbert (WCAIR), Ms Jessica Akester (H3D), Dr Beatriz Baragana (WCAIR), Ms Suze Farrell (WCAIR), Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu (NMIMR), Dr Richard Amewu (University of Ghana), Dr Susan Winks (H3D) and Dr James Duffy (MMV)