UG's Dr. Richard Amewu leads major project to accelerate malaria drug discovery

Under the Grand Challenges Africa Drug Discovery Accelerator (GC ADDA) programme, Dr. Richard Amewu, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry and Head of the Drug Innovations Group at the University of Ghana, will lead the drive to deliver a novel malaria drug, together with some world-class scientists across Africa.

Funding for this project, which is a joint investment by the medical research charity LifeArc and the Bil & Melinda Gates is estimated at US$4.7 million to facilitate the development of new drugs in the fight against malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) - two of the top killer diseases in Africa.

According to the World Health Organisation, about 600,000 deaths on the continent can be attributed to malaria and 400,000 deaths to Tuberculosis; thus, the continued development of treatment-resistant forms of these diseases means that there is a critical need for innovative tools to eliminate them.

In his response, Dr. Richard Amewu said, "This funding is building the critical infrastructure and human capacity for drug discovery research in Ghana and builds directly on the current malaria project, supporting the development of a drug discovery hub in Ghana.

Africa is disproportionally affected by most diseases including malaria, and investments like this enable us to contribute to the global efforts in addressing the health needs of Africans. I hope this project will deliver an early lead for progression in drug discovery while building capacity that can be transferred to other diseases and support drug discovery research in sub-Saharan Africa. It also enables scientists across the continent to join forces, integrating expertise and pooling resources towards finding innovative solutions to treat diseases that are predominant in Africa."

Together with other scientists from Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa, Dr. Amewu and his team will interact closely with experts from the University of Dundee's Drug Discovery Unit in Scotland, the biotech company, Lgenia(USA), the Malaria Drug Accelerator, and the Medicines for Malaria Venture as well as the Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D) at the University of Cape Town.