Director, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
The University of Ghana, in collaboration with DrosAfrica, has hosted a Workshop on the theme: Drosophila: A Simple, Yet Powerful Model for Biomedical Research. Prof. Eric Wieschaus and Prof. Michael Rosbash, two Nobel Laureates were the main speakers for the three-day workshop.
Delivering the welcome address, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, who represented the Acting Vice Chancellor, expressed the University’s anticipation to collaborate and admit students on the project. He looked forward to the project’s interdisciplinary nature in helping to solve more of Africa’s problems.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Development, Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante
In brief remarks, the Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. Julius Fobil, pledged the College’s readiness to support the project. He was particularly excited about the project’s timeliness since the Drosophila model system will facilitate the College’s research.
The Director, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, introduced the various units of the Institute. She further appreciated the opportunity to build capacity in the drug discovery field.
Panelists at the workshop made presentations on topics such as Introduction to Drosophila genetics and development; Drosophila as a model system for the study of Nutrition; Circadian rhythms; human diseases, such as Cancer and Neurodegeneration, and Drug Discovery; Career advice.
DrosAfrica is a community of scientists with an interest in learning how Drosophila is used to solve fundamental problems in biology and disease. DrosAfrica has trained more than 100 people from nine (9) institutions in eight (8) different African countries.
