
Dr. Richard Kwamla Amewu, a Senior Lecturer and leader of the Drug Innovation Group at the Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana | Credit: Ug.edu.gh
A Senior Lecturer and leader of the Drug Innovation Group at the University of Ghana, Department of Chemistry, Dr. Richard Kwamla Amewu, has been appointed as a member of the Malaria Drug Accelerator (MalDA). This appointment recognizes his substantial international contributions to malaria research.
Within MalDA, Dr. Amewu will represent the University of Ghana. His appointment follows a presentation at MalDA’s semi-annual meeting in December 2023, where he shared his initial work on discovering novel early leads for malaria treatment. His appointment was confirmed after the Pro Vice-Chancellor (RID) signed a Sharing and Collaborative Agreement on behalf of the University of Ghana with MalDA.
MalDA is a network of distinguished researchers and institutions working on innovative malaria solutions, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Medicines for Malaria Ventures (MMV); Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; University of California, San Diego; Columbia University; Washington University in St. Louis; GlaxoSmithKline; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Other institutions include the Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research (WCAIR) at the University of Dundee; Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre; University of Cape Town; Pennsylvania State University; the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute; TropIQ Health Sciences; Calibr at Scripps Research; Lgenia; and Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.
This appointment enables Dr. Amewu to collaborate with these institutions and their representatives to advance the drug discovery pipeline for malaria. He will have access to vast resources, expertise, and networking opportunities with other researchers in the field. His insights and experience will enrich the consortium and benefit its current members.
In a statement to the UGโs Public Affairs Directorate, Dr. Amewu expressed his excitement about the appointment, stating, โI have been researching malaria drug discovery for a very long time, and it is an honour to be among globally recognized scientists in the MalDA group. This is very exciting news for me and a major milestone as far as my career and research in malaria drug discovery is concerned.โ
Dr. Amewu mentioned that since the appointment is open-ended, and he will represent the University on the committee for as long as his contributions remain relevant in the field of malaria drug discovery.
He adds, โThis is a significant opportunity for the University of Ghana, as it is one of the few institutions across the continent participating in the consortium, which I see as a great privilege for both me and the University of Ghana.โ
Other distinguished malaria researchers representing their institutions include Dr. Gang Liu, Prof. Elizabeth A. Winzeler, Dr. Brice Campo, Prof. Dyann F. Wirth, Prof. David Fidock, Prof. Daniel Goldberg, Dr. Javier Gamo, Pof. Marcus Lee, and Prof. Jacquin C. Niles. The rest are Prof. Ian Gilbert, Prof. Manuel Llinรกs, Prof. Kelly Chibale, Dr. Koen Dechering, Dr. Case McNamara, Dr. Philip Hipskind, and Dr. Thierry Diagana.
Dr. Richard Kwamla Amewu joined the University of Ghana in November 2013 after over a decade at Liverpool University in the United Kingdom. His background is in Medicinal Chemistry focusing on the discovery of new medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and cancer, among others.
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