West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens

West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens
Name	West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens
Established	2007
Location	Accra, Ghana
Type	Research Institute
Director	Gideon A. A. Anum
Affiliation	University of Ghana

West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens is a biomedical research institute located in Accra, Ghana focused on cellular and molecular studies of infectious diseases. The centre is affiliated with the University of Ghana and engages in laboratory research, capacity building, and regional networking across West Africa, interacting with national and international institutions such as the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization. It serves as a hub linking academic, public health, and policy actors including Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and University of Cambridge.

History

The centre was established in 2007 through partnerships involving the University of Ghana, the African Union, and funders like the Wellcome Trust. Early development was influenced by collaborations with Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and international research groups from University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its formation responded to regional needs articulated at meetings such as the Ghana Health Service forums, the West African Health Organization conferences, and the ECOWAS scientific gatherings. Over time, the centre expanded links to institutions including Yale University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Pasteur Institute, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Karolinska Institutet, University of Toronto, McGill University, Monash University, ETH Zurich, Max Planck Society, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Imperial College London, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Duke University, Peking University, University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, Makerere University, Addis Ababa University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Bayero University Kano, University of Benin, University of Sierra Leone, University of Liberia, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, African Academy of Sciences, Human Heredity and Health in Africa Consortium, and multilateral programs such as the Global Fund.

Mission and Research Focus

The centre’s mission emphasizes translational cell biology to address pathogens prioritized by World Health Organization lists, collaborating on research concerning Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, HIV, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Zika virus, Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, Salmonella enterica, Vibrio cholerae, and opportunistic infections affecting populations in West Africa. Research programs integrate approaches from teams affiliated with Broad Institute, Sanger Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Scripps Research, and German Center for Infection Research on topics like host–pathogen interactions, drug resistance, antigenic variation, and vaccine development. The centre supports genomic surveillance efforts with networks including African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, PANGEA-HIV, MalariaGEN, and the Global Virome Project.

Facilities and Infrastructure

Laboratory infrastructure comprises biosafety facilities aligned with standards from World Health Organization guidance, molecular biology suites modeled on practices from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high-performance computing clusters used by groups such as European Bioinformatics Institute, and imaging equipment similar to installations at Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology. Core facilities include sequencing platforms used by partners like the Wellcome Sanger Institute and proteomics capacity comparable to EMBL-EBI collaborations. The centre maintains biobanks calibrated to protocols from International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories and cold-chain logistics coordinated with agencies such as UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme.

Education and Training Programs

The centre delivers postgraduate training in collaboration with the University of Ghana, offering programs linked to curricula from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Short courses and workshops draw faculty from Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, EMBL, NIH, CDC, and African Academy of Sciences, and target research skills used by consortia like H3Africa. Fellowship programs have included trainees supported by Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Fulbright Program, and the Wellcome Trust International Training Fellowships, with alumni moving to positions at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, KEMRI, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Institut Pasteur, and national ministries of health.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The centre maintains formal collaborations with universities and institutes across continents, including University of Ghana, University of Oxford, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, African Union Development Agency, ECOWAS, African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Institut Pasteur, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, University of Cape Town, Makerere University, KEMRI, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Commission, Horizon 2020, WHO-TDR, Global Fund, PATH, Clinton Health Access Initiative, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Broad Institute, MalariaGEN, H3Africa, Pangea-HIV, African Academy of Sciences, and private-sector partners including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Sanofi, Merck & Co..

Funding and Governance

Funding streams include grants and awards from Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European Commission, National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center, Global Fund, African Development Bank, UNICEF, World Bank, and philanthropic donors such as Welcome Trust donors and corporate partners including GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. Governance is exercised through boards with representatives from University of Ghana, African Academy of Sciences, Wellcome Trust, WHO, and regional bodies such as West African Health Organization and ECOWAS, with scientific advisory input from eminent researchers affiliated to London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, and Karolinska Institutet.

Category:Research institutes in Ghana