Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Dr Samuel Sakyi

Overall aim of WP1: Effective management of the project to deliver a successful trial SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics in Ghana.

O1.1: Facilitate communication among the participants e.g. via all-hands meetings. This provides an important basis for regular and constructive dialogue and exchange within the consortium.
O2,2: Provide an overview of progress and plans to serve stakeholders and the wider public. More detailed technical and management information will be delivered in the form of reports to EDCTP, including final project documentation.
O1.3: To oversee and assist the project’s advancement: WP1 will ensure that the skills, capacities and efforts of all involved partners are integrated for the benefit of the project and oversee the in-time and regular achievement of deliverables and milestones.
O1.4: To oversee development of strategic planning and seek appropriate advice from external experts.

Immunoglobulin M (IgM) is the first class of antibodies produced during the humoral immune response. Thus, specific antibodies of the IgM class are diagnostic of recent (or chronic) infection. The IgM class antibodies are also the first immunoglobulin class to be found in the fetus as it develops immunological capability in the second half of pregnancy. Since IgM does not cross the placenta from mother to fetus, the presence of IgM against a particular virus in a newborn is indicative of intrauterine viral infection.

Detecting IgM antibodies specific to Covid-19 proteins could therefore be used as a diagnostic tool to screen populations for recent Covid-19 infection. In such conditions, a high-affinity antibody specific to human IgM would be needed to detect the IgM antibodies specific to the viral proteins. For the test to be applied in Africa, where access to screening kits and equipment is sometimes difficult and costly, the anti-(human IgM) antibody should ideally be produced locally. Unfortunately, full-length monoclonal antibodies (mAb) produced in mammalian cells are unrealistic in areas where tissue culture facilities may be difficult and costly to maintain. As an alternative, the expression of a small version of the antibody-binding region - a so-called single-chain variable fragment (scFv) - in bacteria could be an attractive and cheap option in these countries, as they are easier to mass produce, especially where recombinant enzymes for PCR screening are produced locally.

We are using phage display technology to isolate high-affinity scFv antibodies that specifically recognise human IgM. Antibody phage display is based on genetic engineering of bacteriophages and repeated rounds of antigen-guided selection and phage propagation. It is one of the most effective molecular diversity technologies currently available and allows in vitro selection of scFvs of virtually any required specificity. Because the whole process, including mass production, is carried out in bacteria, the technology greatly facilitates the recombinant production of reagents for use in research, pharmaceutical chemistry and clinical diagnostics.

Author: Dr Samir Hamaia

Dr Samuel Sakyi

Dr. Samuel Asamoah Sakyi’s research interest focuses on identifying and developing diagnostic tools and markers for the early detection of emerging and re-emerging infectious and chronic diseases. Samuel is passionate about the translation of research findings to end user application to advance science and healthcare delivery. He targets the development of diagnostic tools locally, to make methods of testing readily available in low-resource environments.  He has a track record of leading several research studies and capacity building in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Molecular Medicine Department of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

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Eugene Otu Quansah

Eugene Otu Quansah is an experienced biomedical scientist with an excellent blend of extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience in biomedical sciences and Molecular biology. He is also passionate about biomedical research with research interests in Immunology and Microbiology. Eugene is currently a research assistant with the KNUST team of the Afridx project.

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