LGENIA’s Dr. Miles Siegel Travels to Africa as Part of Collaborative Drug Discovery Program Mentorship
Dr. Miles Siegel (center) with the collaborative team from the Drug Innovations Group (DIG) at the University of Ghana, February 2023
Strengthening Global Drug Discovery Partnerships in Africa
In early 2022, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), in an effort to foster neglected disease drug discovery in countries that are most affected by these diseases, awarded a grant jointly to the University of Ghana in Accra, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR, a biology research facility that is part of the University of Ghana), and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, to establish a collaborative drug discovery program in Ghana.
The Principal Investigator for the grant is the Director of NMIMR, Professor Dorothy Kyerewah Yeboah-Manu, where all the biological testing will occur. The medicinal chemistry effort is being led by Professor Richard Kwamla Amewu in the UG chemistry department. The pharmacokinetic studies will be done at KNUST. The group calls itself the Drug Innovations Group (DIG).
When the grant was awarded, BMGF asked Lgenia if we could mentor Professor Amewu and his students, and we readily accepted and have been meeting with them via Zoom through most of 2022. In these meetings, we share our expertise gained during our collective nearly 200 years in the pharmaceutical industry, and offer suggestions and guidance as they try to develop their own drug discovery expertise.
"Working with the talented researchers in Ghana has been incredibly rewarding. Their dedication to addressing local health challenges through innovative drug discovery is inspiring. This collaboration represents the future of global health research - partnerships that combine local expertise with international support."
Dr. Siegel's African Journey
This February, Miles Siegel, a Senior Portfolio Director for Lgenia, traveled to Africa for a ~6 month "check-in" to see how far they had come, and how we might best assist them in the future. It was Dr. Siegel's first opportunity to meet Professor Amewu and his students in person. Other members of the group on this trip included a large contingent from the University of Dundee (including the vice chancellor for the university), who have been working closely with DIG, as well as representatives from BMGF, and a UK-based medical charity called LifeArc.
Laboratory facilities at the University of Ghana
Five Days of Collaboration and Discovery
- Days 1 and 2: Touring both the chemistry labs and the NMIMR, meeting various faculty and students, and hearing about the history and background of NMIMR and the University. This included a talk and reception followed by dinner at a local restaurant, and a short symposium from several NMIMR faculty members and Professor Amewu about their ongoing research.
- Day 3: The group flew to Kumasi and spent the day touring the campus and facilities at KNUST, which included a meeting with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson.
- Day 4: Morning spent with Professor Amewu's group presenting their research in an informal setting, with opportunities for questions and suggestions. Afternoon with the NMIMR biologists presenting their DIG work.
- Day 5: Review of the visit, going over priorities for the next 6-12 months, addressing ongoing issues, and finalizing various plans. All attendees gave feedback on potential issues, suggestions for improvement, and what seemed to be going well.
They are remarkably under-equipped relative to anything seen in the US (with less equipment than the typical American high school chemistry lab), but they still manage to accomplish quite a bit. They are a young, bright, and enthusiastic group.
"This partnership with LGENIA has been transformative for our research capabilities. Dr. Siegel's visit provided invaluable insights and reinforced our commitment to developing affordable, accessible treatments for our communities."
This was Dr. Siegel's first trip anywhere in Africa, and he would love to hopefully have the opportunity to go back in the next year or two to see how the operation has progressed.
The Gates Foundation's investment in African drug discovery represents a paradigm shift toward building local research capacity and ensuring that solutions to global health challenges are developed with meaningful input from the communities most affected by these diseases.
About the Drug Innovations Group (DIG): The DIG is a collaborative research initiative between the University of Ghana's Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, focused on developing innovative therapeutic solutions for neglected tropical diseases.
About LGENIA: LGENIA is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering new medications for debilitating diseases including tuberculosis, malaria, and Alzheimer's disease, with a commitment to making these treatments affordable and accessible to all patients worldwide.