- Collaboration will help establish Ghana’s first laboratory with capacity to test around 100 molecules against schistosomiasis
- It also aims to expand the continent’s growing drug discovery capacity
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana and the non-profit medical research organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) have launched a drug discovery partnership to screen around 100 molecules against a species of the parasitic worm Schistosoma that is prevalent in Africa. Their ultimate goal is to develop the next generation of treatments for schistosomiasis, one of Africa’s most widespread parasitic diseases.
The research collaboration, supported by funding from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), brings together KNUST’s expertise in parasitic diseases and clinical research with DNDi’s experience in discovering and optimizing new molecules against neglected diseases—and translating them from the laboratory to the clinic. It marks DNDi’s first drug discovery partnership on the African continent and represents a significant step for KNUST into early-stage drug discovery science.
‘Ghana has made impressive progress in eliminating several neglected diseases, but the number of people with schistosomiasis is not declining, and we need treatments that can cure them. This important partnership with DNDi means Ghanaian scientists are now part of a global effort in building the science and innovation needed to reach that goal, in our own laboratories, and for our own communities,’ said Prof. Alexander Yaw Debrah, Professor of Parasitology and Global Health at KNUST, and Scientific Director of the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine (KCCR).
As part of DNDi’s efforts to strengthen Africa’s end-to-end R&D ecosystem, the partnership aims not only to eventually develop new treatments for schistosomiasis, but also to expand drug discovery capacity across the continent and enable African researchers and institutions to lead the full process of discovering and developing new medicines.
Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is the second most widespread parasitic disease in the world after malaria, affecting more than 250 million people globally—mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Infection occurs through contact with freshwater, where the parasite’s larvae penetrate the skin and develop into adult worms in the body. The most prevalent species in Africa affects the urinary and reproductive system, causing anaemia and a condition known as female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) in an estimated 56 million women and girls.
The current treatment for schistosomiasis, praziquantel, has limitations: it mainly kills adult worms and is less effective against juvenile worms, requiring repeated administration over many years. It is also only partially effective in treating FGS and does not relieve the pain caused by inflammatory reactions to the parasite’s eggs, which become trapped in the urogenital tract.
There is therefore an urgent need for treatments that can kill the juvenile worms and better address the debilitating symptoms experienced by women and girls with FGS.
Through the partnership with DNDi, KNUST’s laboratory will screen approximately 100 carefully selected drug prototypes and chemical compounds with known activity against schistosomiasis worms, both juvenile and adult, belonging to the haematobium species of the parasite that is found almost exclusively in Africa. This work is part of a broader global research platform involving partners in Brazil, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom that aims to develop and optimize assays—tests that measure whether a molecule has the intended effect on the parasite—to enable more effective drug discovery.
The combined results will help refine a standard screening process and ultimately support the development of new, safe, and effective treatments for the disease.
‘This partnership with KNUST will play a key role in filling a gap that has existed for too long and building the scientific tools we need to find new, better treatments in the region where they are needed most. It is also another step to advance drug discovery research in Ghana beyond the initial project period and lays the foundation for promising future collaborations on other neglected diseases,’ said Dr Eric Chatelain, Head of Drug Discovery Programme at DNDi.
As part of the collaboration, two KNUST researchers will travel to the University of Bonn, Germany for hands-on training in laboratory screening cascade methods.
‘As schistosomiasis remains a public health priority in Ghana, this collaboration between KNUST and DNDi is exactly the kind of partnership we need, one that builds scientific capacity here in Ghana and demonstrates that Africa can lead the research that matters most to its own people. We welcome this and the opportunities it creates for Ghana’s scientific community,’ said Dr Joseph Kwadwo Larbi Opare, Program Manager for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) at the Ghana Health Service.
About KNUST
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in Kumasi, Ghana, is a leading science and technology-focused university committed to advancing education, research, innovation, and human capacity development. It has developed into a comprehensive university with a strong reputation for excellence in teaching, research, technology transfer, and community engagement. KNUST has a diverse community of students, academics, researchers, and professional staff and maintains extensive national and international collaborations. The University has particular strengths in health sciences, biomedical research, public health, infectious diseases, agriculture, engineering, environmental sciences, and digital technologies. Through its research institutes, centres, colleges, and departments, KNUST conducts multidisciplinary research addressing major health and development challenges in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa. The University also has considerable experience in implementing and coordinating collaborative research programmes supported by international agencies and development partners.
About DNDi
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected populations. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, parasitic worm diseases, mycetoma, dengue, cryptococcal meningitis, hepatitis C, and viruses of pandemic potential. Its research priorities include children’s health, gender equity and gender-responsive R&D, and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has collaborated with public and private partners worldwide to deliver 17 new treatments for six deadly diseases, saving millions of lives. dndi.org
Media contacts
Edith Magak (in Nairobi)
+254 780 862 049
emagak@dndi.org
Frédéric Ojardias (in Geneva)
+41 79 431 62 16
fojardias@dndi.org
Photo credit: Yaw Afrim Gyebi-DNDi
