Cedric Amengor

I am an alumnus of Koforidua Secondary Technical School (KSTS, Ghana) where I graduated in 2005. I studied Pharmacy at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana obtaining my BPharm. (Second Class Honours) in 2011 and MPhil in 2014, the latter under the supervision and mentorship of Professor Reimmel Adosrarku and Dr. William Kofie where I worked on the synthesis of azo compounds with antimicrobial potentials and acid-base indicator properties. obtained my Ph.D from the same University in 2018 sponsored by Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme on a split-site mode in collaboration with the University of Greenwich. My project was on the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles and clicked-tethered phosphonium salts with antileishmanial and antitubercular activities supervised by Prof. Adrian Dobbs (University of Surrey, UK), Prof. Joshua Boateng (University of Greenwich), Dr. Guillia Getti (University of Greenwich), Prof. Isaac Ayensu (KNUST) and Dr. Joseph Adu (KNUST). In 2016, I was offered an opportunity to be part of the Next Generation Scientists’ Programme at Novartis, Basel where I was part of a team to synthesise Cavinafunigin and its analogues with the aim of determining their accurate stereochemistry.

I was part of a chemistry team awarded a grant on the Royal Society Chemistry Exchange Programme for collaborative research between KNUST and the University of Greenwich with Prof. Adrian Dobbs between 2018-2020 (working towards harnessing expertise and skills to establish a well-equipped Organic Synthesis lab at KNUST). On my return to Ghana in 2017 from the University of Greenwich, I took up an academic post as a lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho in 2019. This position is also filled with a number of Department academic administrative roles. Subsequently, my area of expertise has been in the medicinal chemistry where my research team seeks to employ computational guided approach for the synthesis (click chemistry) of novel compounds against malaria, TB and the kinetoplastid diseases.

Now in Dundee for 6 months, the Drug Discovery Unit of the University of Dundee, to which the WCAIR is part, which has over the years delivered clinical candidates for these disease areas. Here at WCAIR, I work with experts at the Medicinal Chemistry and Schistosomiasis Groups of the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) to build my capacity in organic synthesis and understand further the biology of the disease.

The skills inspiration developed here at Dundee will enhance the training of my undergraduate and postgraduate students in Medicinal Chemistry and help refine drug discovery in Ghana. Moreover, together with colleagues who have had this training and capacity, build a Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery in Ghana with capacity for feeding the biologists with novel compounds as targets for malaria, TB and kinetoplastid diseases.

I look forward to harnessing my skills at designing and synthesizing a library of compounds with potential activity against Schistosomiasis, a common disease in Ghana. To Truly defeat an enemy, you need to know the enemy more than yourself. The enemy is the Schistosomiasis parasite and based on its morphology and biochemistry, we are confident in defeating it no matter how long it takes.

Away from work, I am a very keen Liverpool supporter and I know also that in this space at DDU and after, I will never walk alone with the exceptional research environment and the welcoming people.