Professor William Kwabena Ampofo, Coordinator for the Ghana National COVID-19 Testing and Professor at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana won the 2022 MTN Hero of Change award (Health Sector). His enormous contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized with this honor. Prof. Ampofo contributed his knowledge as a professional virologist during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Within the first week after the virus was discovered in the nation, Prof. Ampofo and his team acquired the supplies and equipment needed to set up and begin testing for COVID-19. Prof Ampofo also oversaw the innovation of the pooling sample system to test about 10,000 samples a day. Over 500 entries were received, screened narrowed down to 100 at first, then 30. A team visited each of the project sites to verify the submissions. The panel of three judges selected the top-10 projects which were televised in a 13-week series Prof. Ampofo’s research interests include molecular and serological investigations, anti-viral therapy and viral disease burden. In addition to overseeing the National HIV Drug Resistance Genotyping Laboratory and the National Influenza Center, Prof. Ampofo also acts as the laboratory focal point for the Ministry of Health’s National Emergency Operations Center. The MTN Heroes of Change Season 6 (COVID Edition) was launched on 23rd of February 2022 to recognize individuals and institutions who have made significant contribution to the nation’s effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Irene Owusu Donkor wins the Young Investigator award (honorable mention) at the 71st American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) Annual Meeting in Seattle, USA. The ASTMH Annual Meeting is the premier international forum for the exchange of scientific advances in tropical medicine, hygiene and global health. The five-day educational meeting offers access to all that is new, evolving, challenging, successful and exciting in tropical medicine, hygiene and global health. November, 2022.

Dr. Jewelna Akorli won the Senior Category of the 2nd PAMCA Women in Vector Control (WIVC) Excellence Award at PAMCA Conference 2022, Kigali, Rwanda. The award was in recognition of her work in the field of vector research and her contribution to leadership in the control of mosquito-borne diseases. Her current primary research focuses on molecular entomology with particular interest in using the molecular and genomic understanding of the interactions between insect vectors, their endosymbiotic micro-organisms (microbiome) and human pathogens for innovative and effective vector and disease control strategies. She is ultimately interested in bridging the gap between laboratory findings and field relevance in novel proposed tools for vector control. She holds a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship and an ANTI-VeC Network grant to conduct research on the diversity, ecology and mechanisms of action of microbes with anti-Plasmodial potential. She is also a co-PI of a University of Ghana BANGA-Africa funded project aimed piloting Aedesmosquito surveillance in Accra Metropolis for modelling the risk of arboviral disease. She enjoys mentoring and providing training opportunities for students, research assistants and technicians to build capacity in various techniques in entomological research. She received a cash prize of $2500 with the liberty to re-invest in initiatives that promotes women participation in vector-borne diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.

On April 23, 2021, Dr. Asare received the “Vice Chancellor’s Award for the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in the Sciences” for producing an outstanding doctoral dissertation in the scientific field. The honor was received at the University of Ghana Vice Chancellor’s academic prizes ceremony for the 2019–2020 academic year, which honored exceptional University of Ghana students in several categories. Dr. Asare was enrolled into a PhD programme at the department of Biochemistry, Cell And Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana as part of the second cohort of PhD students in the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) programme in 2015. He submitted and defended his thesis titled “Molecular Epidemiology Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex In Ghana: Understanding Transmission Dynamics” and produced four publications from the thesis, having attended and presented in several local and international conferences. He attended and presented at numerous regional and international conferences before submitting and successfully defending his thesis which resulted in four publications.

At the 12th session of the 49th Congregation of the University of Cape Coast on March 25, 2017, Prof. Ayi received an award in recognition of her supervisory role for Dr. Emmanuel K. Abu’s PhD thesis. Dr. Abu was the Congregation’s valedictorian. His research was conducted at the Biomedical and Forensic Sciences Department, University of Cape Coast, and the topic of his thesis was “Toxoplasmosis and its connection with IFN- +874 Polymorphism among coastal and inland farming groups in Central Region, Ghana.”

Prof. Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi of the Immunology Department of NMIMR is the recipient of a science achievement gold award at the 1st National Youth Achievers Awards (NYAA), held at the Accra International Conference Centre on 25th October 2012. The awards scheme was under the auspices of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, Former President of the Republic of Ghana for youth (15 – 35 years) who are considered to have made a significant contribution to their field of endeavor.

The programme was organized by Charter House Productions with sponsorship from RLG Communications Ghana Ltd.

Prof. Kusi’s award was based on his PhD work on the development of malaria vaccine candidate antigens. He worked as part of a team that undertook the development and pre-clinical testing of three Diversity-covering (DiCo) AMA1 proteins as malaria vaccine candidate antigens at the biomedical Primate Research Centre in Rijswijk, the Netherlands. His work focused on the assessment of humoral immune responses to polymorphic variants of AMA1 and the formulation of multi-allele AMA1 antigens with adjuvants as vaccines. His contribution to this process resulted in five peer-reviewed publications.

The DiCo vaccine candidate, which is a mixture of the three DiCo antigens, has successfully undergone GMP production and is expected to undergo toxicology, clinical safety and immunogenicity assessment in a non-endemic population soon. These activities are with support from the European Vaccine Institute (http://www.euvaccine.eu/portfolio/project-index/ama1-dico and http://www.euvaccine.eu/node/651#KAK).

Prof. Kusi is currently working on the development of malaria transmission estimation tools at the Noguchi Memorial Institute together with scientists from the Naval Medical Research Centre of the US Military Malaria Vaccine Program.

Award received: 2012 National Youth Achievers Gold Award (Science category)

The Vice Chancellor’s Academic Prize was awarded to Dr. James A.M Brandful for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Science for 2012 Congregation, Great Hall, May 4th, 2012. The award was based on his doctoral thesis leading to the degree of Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology obtained in June 2009.

A short summary of PhD thesis work

This was titled ‘Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of HIV Type 1 in Parts of Ghana’. The study examined 40 samples collected in 2002/3 from HIV-1 AIDS disease and asymptomatic patients prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The focus was on under-investigated areas of Ghana, covering the middle and northern belts. Genetic diversity and the potential for the emergence of resistance to antiretroviral drugs in this group and therefore implications for ART were examined.

Main observations included the following: A diversity of non-subtype B HIV-1 strains was prevalent. The simultaneous circulation of these diverse variants, even in a small sample size, suggested that changes in the genotypic profile of HIV-1 in Ghana will continue. Majority of the isolates were non-syncytium inducing R5 viruses even in late disease stage. Syncytium-inducing or X4 strains also co-circulated, but were rare. Genetic sequence data indicated that antagonists to R5 viruses could therefore be extremely effective theoretically as antiviral agents for HIV-1 strains from Ghana, along with two broad neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, namely 2F5 and 4E10.

The transmission of drug resistant (DR) HIV-1 strains through CRF02_AG, even before the initiation of ART was probable. PR V11I mutation, among others, was observed in patients with CRF02_AG and CRF06_cpx infections, recombinants chiefly now responsible for AIDS in Ghana. The use of darunavir (DRV) and fosamprenavir (FPV), not currently included in the ART regimen prescribed in Ghana had to be avoided in such patients.

The identification of DR-related mutations in drug-inexperienced patients constituted important new information that is relevant for ART in Ghana. Also, the study had far-reaching implications for possible new clinical interventions from phenotypic aspects of the work.

The diverse genetic profile of HIV-1 in Ghana has to be continuously monitored.