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After launching four projects worth USD 6.8 million in January 2023, the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, has been awarded USD 1.23 million by the National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Centre to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in West Africa. This 5-year grant (1D43TW012487-01), which involves multiple institutions in West Africa and the United States, was awarded to Prof. Eric Sampane-Donkor, Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology, as the overall Principal Investigator. This is the second NIH award received by Prof. Eric Sampane-Donkor within one year, after an RO1 award (5R01AI169674-02) to unravel the impact of vaccination on the population biology of the pneumococcus with regard to children with sickle cell disease.
The new D43 award titled “Research and Capacity Building in Antimicrobial Resistance in West Africa”, also known as The RECABAW Training Programme, will help establish a core of West African scientists through PhD and Postdoctoral training to advance the understanding and management of AMR in the sub-region. AMR is considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the greatest global threats to human health in recent times. It is estimated that by 2050, if the AMR threat were not addressed properly, it would lead to 10 million deaths every year, and a reduction of 2-3.5% in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with an overall cost of 100 trillion USD. Globally, the highest burden of AMR occurs in the West African sub-region, and this highlights the relevance of the RECABAW Training Programme. The PhD and Postdoctoral fellows on the training programme will undertake cutting-edge research using modern tools such as metagenomic sequencing, to help design interventions in key areas of AMR, such as improved diagnostics and drug discovery.
The 25-page proposal submitted by Prof. Sampane-Donkor and his team through the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) of the University of Ghana was selected for funding through a highly competitive process involving applications from universities in the United States and low- and middle- countries ((LMIC). Four institutions will collaborate with the University of Ghana on the RECABAW Training Programme: (i) The Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit (The Gambia), at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (ii) Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria), (iii) Washington University (USA), and (iv) University of Utah (USA). Though the PhD and Postdoctoral fellows on the training programme will be registered at the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, they would have the opportunity to undertake part or all of their research at one of the collaborating institutions in West Africa or the United States.
The Department of Medical Microbiology is recognised as a national leader in AMR research and training. This new NIH grant signals a major milestone for the Department in achieving regional recognition in the AMR space.
