Following on from Patrick Kobina Arthur’s account of his battle to remove a fungus from his window frame leading to an investigation of its potential as a promising new antimicrobial, we now hear from reviewer, Peter Mbugua Njogu, University of Nairobi. Peter discusses the contribution of fungi to the medical field and why the research article by Kobina et al., is a ‘great contribution to drug discovery and the development of novel antimicrobial compounds’.
As part of our Open Access Week campaign, we interviewed Dr. Fredros Okumu, Director of Science at Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania and an Associate Professor at University of Witwatersrand. Dr. Okumu solely relies on freely accessible research. In this Q&A, he talks about the open access revolution and why only though liberating information and free access to knowledge will we see exponential gains for researchers and the public.
As part of our Open Access Week campaign, we spoke with Professor Sameer Jaffer Hameer from the Technical University of Kenya, School of Aerospace and Aviation Engineering and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Prof Hameer shared his experiences with accessing research and teaching materials, as well as his thoughts on the future of publishing on the African continent.
The role of serendipity in the pursuit of antimicrobials. A chance discovery of a fungus growing on a window frame outside researcher’s, Patrick Kobina Arthur, home in Ghana, spurred an ongoing battle to remove the organism eventually leading to an investigation of its potential as a promising new antimicrobial in the fight against pathogens.
Sandra Ofori and Omosivie Maduka evaluated the association between cooking fuel use and the risk of respiratory disease among rural communities in Nigeria. In this blog, they discuss their research article published on AAS Open Research, covering the potential hazards of cooking fuels on indoor air pollution, and the negative affect this has on respiratory health.
Dr. Moses Alobo, programme manager at Grand Challenges Africa discusses one of the networks recent launches, the transition to scale for innovations programme, and explains how it can help drive societal impact.
The DELTAS Africa Scientific Conference took place in Dakar, Senegal in July. In this blog, Alphonsus Neba, The African Academy of Sciences’ Deputy Programmes Director – Science Support and Systems, talks about the meeting and the new DELTAS Gateway on AAS Open Research.
Researchers are working on establishing such a model in Uganda where schistosomiasis is highly endemic. A member of that group is Jan Pieter Koopman, Leiden University Medical Center, who summarises the risks associated with carrying out a controlled human infection model for schistosomiasis and the precautions that need to be considered.
In this blog, Tom Kariuki and Judy Omumbo, tell us about Future Leaders African Independent Research (FLAIR), a fellowship designed to help talented early-career researchers, whose science is focused on the needs of the continent, to establish independent careers in African institutions and ultimately, their own research groups.
This month marks one year from the launch of AAS Open Research. On this occasion, we reflect on the encouraging response to and impact of the platform and look forward to the future.
