PeCHIVReT participated in the First International West Africa Symposium & Workshop on Infectious Diseases in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from July 29 – August 4, 2024. Hosted by The University of Sierra Leone in collaboration with The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), this event brought together brilliant minds from around the globe to tackle some of the most pressing health challenges. West Africa faces significant challenges due to infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, Lassa, Ebola, and Dengue. Despite the availability of patient-derived samples and data, many West African nations still lag behind in combating these epidemics.

Our Principal Investigator, AbdulMuminu Isah, our co-PI Gabriel Ezenri along with other team members Chinonyelum Agbo, Jennifer Onyehalu, Amauche Ngige, Chisom Amoke, attended this invaluable symposium. The event provided a platform to learn about groundbreaking research on infectious diseases and collaborate with global experts. The intellectual and inspiring discussions were truly enriching.

Day 1 : Collaboration & Impact

Session Highlights:

- Breaking Down Barriers to Facilitate Collaborations in Science: Nevan Krogan, Gladstone Institutes, QBI UCSF.

- Genomics Surveillance for Pathogen Discovery and Characterization in Africa by Africans: Onikepe Folarin PhD, Deputy Director, African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Redeemer’s University, Ede, Nigeria.

- Science and Social Context: Lessons from HIV Scale-up and UHC: Joia Mukherjee, Harvard Medical School, Partners in Health (PIH), USA.

- Empowering Scientific Collaborations through Operations and Communications: Jacqueline Fabius, QBI, UCSF, USA.

- Panel Discussion - Addressing Maternal & Child Health Alongside Infectious Disease: Moderated by Mary Fullah, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer.

DAY 2: The theme of day 2, 30th July 2024 focused on "Research to Prevention," and we're thrilled to share some exciting news. One of our team members Chisom Amoke secured third place for the best abstract presentation after a meticulous review by the judges during the poster exhibition. Additionally, five abstracts from the Person-Centered HIV Research Team (PeCHIVReT) were accepted for publication in the symposium's book of abstracts. 

The poster session covered critical areas including HIV transcription and latency, genetics of HIV restriction factors, co-infection expressions of TB and SARS-CoV-2, Ebola virus epidemiology, transmission and evolution, and Lassa hemorrhagic fever in pregnancy.

At the First International Symposium and Workshop on Infectious Diseases conducted in Freetown Sierra Leone, Amauche Ngige one of our dedicated team members, successfully completed the scientific workshop on Microbial Sequencing Bioinformatics. The workshop held from July 31st to August 2nd, 2024, this intensive three-day workshop provided comprehensive training in essential bioinformatics techniques. The sessions were led by distinguished scientists from the Quantitative Biosciences Institute at the University of California, San Francisco including Ramon Lorenzo Redondo, Lacy Simons and Arghavan Alisoltani (Alisoltanidehkordi). 

Key Highlights of the Workshop: 

- Setting up computational environments for bioinformatics

- Next-generation sequencing of microbial pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) 

- Genome sequence assemblies and alignments from short- and long-read data 

- Performing and interpreting phylogenetic analyses 

- Using R programming for data visualization 

The knowledge and skills gained from this workshop are invaluable and will significantly enhance our research and clinical practices. 

Gabriel Ezenri B. Pharm, CSCA, our Co-Principal Investigator, and Jennifer Onyehalu, our Assistant Research Coordinator, successfully completed the 'Scientific Grant Writing and Science Presentation Skills Workshop' hosted by the Quantitative Bioscience Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. This intensive workshop, conducted from August 1st to 4th, 2024, was expertly facilitated by Nevan Krogan and Jacqueline Fabius. Throughout this comprehensive program, participants engaged deeply in the detailed aspects of grant writing and scientific communication. 

Participants honed their skills in drafting persuasive abstracts and designing impactful slide presentations. Special emphasis was placed on developing a well-structured grant Aims page, essential for clearly conveying the importance and potential impact of research projects. The hands-on exercises allowed attendees to immediately apply what they learned, receiving constructive feedback from both instructors and peers.

Our Principal Investigator, AbdulMuminu Isah, PharmD, PhD, FPCPharm (Infec. Dis.) CSCA recently played an active role in the Clinical Research and Study Design Workshop, a significant event organized by the Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco in collaboration with the University of Sierra Leone. This workshop was part of the First International West Africa Symposium and Workshop on Infectious Diseases, held from July 31st to August 3rd at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Over the course of four days, the workshop delved into essential concepts and terminology critical for designing and interpreting clinical research. Facilitated by the esteemed Mohamed Barrie and Dan Kelly, the sessions provided invaluable insights, especially for West African scientists, emphasizing intellectual property rights and empowering local researchers. 

This workshop represents a major step forward in our ongoing commitment to advancing clinical research and fostering collaboration across the West African region. We are proud to be part of this initiative that not only enhances our understanding but also empowers the next generation of researchers.