West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) - University of Ghana

What West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) - University of Ghana does

WACCBIP is a University of Ghana-based research and training centre established in 2014, focused on cell and molecular biology of infectious pathogens endemic to West Africa, including malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and SARS-CoV-2. It operates 8 research groups supported by core platforms in high-performance computing, next-generation sequencing (Illumina NextSeq2000), flow cytometry (BD FACSAria III, Accuri), protein expression and analysis, and bioinformatics infrastructure. The centre delivers two PhD programmes and four Master's programmes, including a newer MSc in Bioinformatics, and has trained more than 200 scientists since inception, anchored by an annual research conference drawing 300+ attendees.

The centre's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue is sourced from multi-year competitive grants — most notably the World Bank African Centre of Excellence (ACE) programme, DELTAS II funding from the Science for Africa Foundation, Wellcome and UK FCDO, Erasmus+ KA171 mobility funding, and project-based support from partners including the Francis Crick Institute, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford, and the University of Tübingen. WACCBIP also coordinates the WANIDA network of 7 African Centres of Excellence, providing convening, training, and data-sharing infrastructure across the continent, and has built applied COVID-19 response capability including SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance and a Power BI dashboard for public-health data dissemination.

Name

West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) - University of Ghana

Legal name

West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens - University of Ghana

Website

https://waccbip.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WACCBIP is a University of Ghana research and training centre studying the cell and molecular biology of infectious pathogens in West Africa, operating 8 research groups, two PhD and four Master's programmes, and coordinating the WANIDA network of 7 African Centres of Excellence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research and Training Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAGADAF

Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services

SECONDARYHLAGANAE

Transcriptomics & Gene Expression Profiling Services

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Specialty Lab Services (Genomics/Proteomics/Cellomics)

SECONDARYHLAGAFAC

DMPK / ADME & Bioanalysis

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Preclinical Services (Toxicology/Pharmacology/DMPK)

Keywords

• Biomedical research training
• Infectious disease research
• Molecular biology programmes
• Genomics and bioinformatics
• Academic degree programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Legon, Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. World Bank African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Funding: WACCBIP was established in response to the World Bank's call for proposals for African Centres of Excellence and receives funding through World Bank ACE/ACE Impact programmes.
2. DELTAS II Programme Funding: Graduate internship programme supported by the Science for Africa Foundation with funding from Wellcome and UK FCDO. Provides stipends to graduate interns.
3. Research Grants and Fellowships: The Centre receives grants and fellowship funding from Wellcome, African Academy of Sciences (AAS), and other international funding organisations to support research and training activities.
4. CoRE-AID Erasmus+ KA171 Research Exchange Funding: Erasmus+ KA171 funding supports living costs and travel expenses for graduate student exchanges between University of Ghana and University of Tübingen.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WACCBIP is a university research and training centre that delivers postgraduate academic programmes (MPhil, PhD, postdoctoral) and short courses in cell and molecular biology of infectious pathogens. It conducts biomedical research through specialised laboratories and provides access to advanced scientific technology platforms (NGS, HPC, Flow Cytometry, Protein Expression & Analysis) for research collaborations.

Product overview

WACCBIP operates as a research and training center at the University of Ghana, offering a portfolio of academic programmes (Master's and Doctoral degrees in cell and molecular biology), short courses, and graduate internship programmes. The centre provides access to scientific technology platforms including High Performance Computing, Flow Cytometry, Next-Generation Sequencing, and Protein Expression & Analysis facilities. Research is conducted through specialized laboratories (Cell and Immunology, Genomics and Bioinformatics, Cancer and Virology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemical Systems Biology, and Microbiology labs) and research groups focused on malaria, AMR, and other infectious diseases. The centre also provides public research dashboards for SARS-CoV-2 and Malaria surveillance, and organizes the annual WACCBIP Research Conference. DELTAS II Graduate Internship Programme and CoRE-AID international exchange programme provide training opportunities for graduate students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctoral Programmes (PhD) PhD programmes in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and related biomedical sciences offered through the Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Ghana. The Centre offers 2 PhD programmes in partnership with the University of Ghana's School of Graduate Studies.
• Master's Programmes (MPhil) Master's programmes including MPhil in Molecular Cell Biology of Infectious Diseases, with 4 Master's programmes offered in partnership with the University of Ghana's School of Graduate Studies. A new MSc Bioinformatics Programme has also been announced.
• Graduate Internship Programme (DELTAS II) A graduate internship programme for new graduates to work in an environment that supports and promotes the development of research leadership, running complementary to the national service program. Stipends are provided as a top-up to national service allowance.
• CoRE-AID Research Exchanges Research exchange programme in partnership with University of Tübingen under Erasmus+ KA171 project, offering up to 10-month research exchanges for graduate students at University of Ghana, with funding support for living costs and travel expenses.
• WACCBIP Research Conference (WRC) Annual 3-day showcase of research conducted at the Centre by faculty and fellows, featuring talks from world-leading researchers. Attracts more than 300 scientists from world-class institutions globally.
• Cell and Immunology Lab Research laboratory focused on cellular and immunological studies of infectious pathogens, supporting research collaborations and graduate training.
• Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab Research laboratory focused on genomics, bioinformatics, and population genetics of malaria parasites, including the Genomics and Bioinformatics Group.
• Cancer and Virology Lab Research laboratory focused on virology and cancer research, supporting research on viral pathogens including HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
• Cell and Molecular Biology Lab Research laboratory focused on cell and molecular biology of infectious diseases, supporting the Quashie Research Group on molecular epidemiology of HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
• Chemical Systems Biology Lab Research laboratory focused on chemical systems biology of infectious pathogens including infection biology of tuberculosis, chemical biology of fungal metabolites, and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. More than 3,000 distinct fungal species have been isolated and screened for novel anti-infective agents.
• Microbiology Lab Research laboratory focused on microbiology studies, including the AMR Research Group led by Dr. Isawumi Abiola investigating antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.
• High Performance Computing Platform Scientific technology platform providing computational infrastructure for bioinformatics and genomics research, available for research collaborations with external researchers and institutions.
• Flow Cytometry Platform Scientific technology platform for cell analysis and immunological studies, available for research collaborations.
• Next-Generation Sequencing Platform NGS facility for genomic sequencing, including Illumina NextSeq2000 and 10x Genomics Chromium Connect, available for research collaborations. Over 500 clinical P. falciparum isolates have been sequenced and contributed to open-source MalariaGEN and Pf3k databases.
• Protein Expression & Analysis Platform Scientific technology platform for protein analysis including mass spectrometry-based proteomics, available for research collaborations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ young scientists trained from 10+ African countries since 2014
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of TübingenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Tübingen, co-lead of the Cluster of Research Excellence in Advanced Infectious Diseases (CoRE-AID), partners with WACCBIP through an Erasmus+ KA171 project for graduate student research exchanges of up to 10 months, supporting living costs and travel expenses.
• WANIDA (West African Network of Infectious Diseases ACEs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWANIDA brings together 7 African Centres of Excellence (WACCBIP, ACEGID, ACEMFS, ACEPHAP, ACENTDFB, ITECH-MTV, and CEA-PCMT) to facilitate scientific collaborations on infectious diseases across West Africa. Created in 2020 and coordinated by WACCBIP.
• Francis Crick InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Peter Kojo Quashie worked as a CAN-ACA Fellow at the Francis Crick Institute on antiretroviral therapy research. Dr Yaw Aniweh served as a Crick-African Network Fellow between WACCBIP and the Francis Crick Institute. Multiple collaborative research activities are ongoing.
• Wellcome Sanger InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Lucas Amenga-Etego collaborates with the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK as part of his ongoing research on malaria parasite genomics and population genetics.
• Centre for Genomics and Global Health, Big Data Institute, University of OxfordmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Lucas Amenga-Etego continues to collaborate with the Centre for Genomics and Global Health at the University of Oxford on malaria genomics research.
• Plasmodium Diversity Network Africa (PDNA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican scientists collaborate through PDNA to conduct studies into the genetic diversity and population structure of P. falciparum populations across Africa.
• GIISER Network - WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of researchers collaborating on infectious disease research, cited as a collaborator for Dr Peter Kojo Quashie's work on molecular epidemiology of HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
• African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of African research universities supporting collaborative research activities cited in Dr Quashie's molecular epidemiology work.
• CAN-UK (Commonwealth Academic Network UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommonwealth academic network cited as a collaborator for Dr Peter Kojo Quashie's research on HIV and SARS-CoV-2 molecular epidemiology.
• University of EdinburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in molecular epidemiology research involving HIV and SARS-CoV-2.
• Cambridge UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution cited in Dr Peter Kojo Quashie's research network.
• Erasmus University NetherlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution cited in the molecular epidemiology and antiviral therapeutics research network.
• Ku Leuven, BelgiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean collaborator in the molecular epidemiology research network.
• University of SouthamptonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in the antiviral therapeutics and host-pathogen interaction research network.
• University of Maryland - College Park, USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Patrick Kobina Arthur undertook postdoctoral fellowships at University of Maryland as part of his Chemical Systems Biology research on infectious pathogens.
• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH-Zurich)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Patrick Kobina Arthur undertook postdoctoral fellowships at ETH-Zurich in Chemical Systems Biology research.
• Department of Chemistry, University of CambridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Patrick Kobina Arthur undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge's Department of Chemistry in Chemical Systems Biology.
• MalariaGEN (Malaria Genetic Epidemiology Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Lucas Amenga-Etego was awarded a Data Fellowship by MalariaGEN, a large consortium developing methods for human malaria genetic susceptibility analysis and malaria parasite population genetics. He contributed over 500 clinical isolates to the MalariaGEN P. falciparum community project and Pf3k databases.
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Yaw Bediako carried out research as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at KEMRI before joining WACCBIP.
• TIBA (Tracking Infections and Non-Communicable Diseases in Africa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Henrietta Mensah-Brown was a TIBA out-of-Africa postdoctoral fellow, supporting her research on Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1.
• WANIDA (West African Network of Infectious Diseases ACEs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWANIDA brings together 7 African Centres of Excellence (WACCBIP, ACEGID, ACEMFS, ACEPHAP, ACENTDFB, ITECH-MTV, and CEA-PCMT) to facilitate scientific collaborations on infectious disease in West Africa. WACCBIP coordinates the network through its coordinator Olivia Koupaki.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Ifakara Health Institute: Tanzania-based health research institute with strong malaria and infectious disease programmes and similar donor-dependent funding model; relevant peer for WACCBIP's malaria biology and capacity-building work in East Africa.
• MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM: West African clinical research unit affiliated with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; runs comparable infectious disease epidemiology and immunology programmes, including malaria and respiratory virus research.
• KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute): East African infectious disease research powerhouse that hosts WACCBIP alumni (Dr. Yaw Bediako) as postdoctoral fellows; operates comparable genomics, immunology, and clinical research platforms focused on malaria and HIV.
• Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ): Zambia-based research and service delivery organization with comparable infectious disease focus (HIV, TB, AMR); operates similar academic-clinical hybrid model with international funding.
• Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme: Wellcome-funded clinical research programme in Malawi affiliated with LSTM; operates comparable tropical disease, AMR, and immunology platforms with similar training and capacity-building objectives.

Direct peers

• African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID): Redeemer's University, Nigeria-based ACE focused on genomics of infectious diseases; co-member of WANIDA with WACCBIP, with overlapping NGS and malaria genomics capabilities and similar World Bank ACE funding model.
• Institut Pasteur de Dakar: Senegal-based biomedical research institute with a comparable West African infectious disease mandate, including vaccine production (yellow fever) and diagnostics; overlaps with WACCBIP on yellow fever, malaria, and emerging pathogen research.
• Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research: University of Ghana-based sister institute conducting biomedical and infectious disease research with similar location, parent institution, and tropical disease mandate; the most direct in-country peer to WACCBIP.

Emerging players

• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC): Pan-African research institution with comparable non-communicable and infectious disease research footprint and similar donor-dependent funding base; relevant peer for WACCBIP's research-policy interface work.
• Yemaachi Biotech: Africa-focused cancer genomics and immunotherapy company founded by WACCBIP research fellow Dr. Yaw Bediako; represents the translational/commercial extension of WACCBIP's genomics and immunology training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WACCBIP_UG
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8uSZWMZRGT2Xpfq14utpYQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/waccbiplegon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-african-centre-for-cell-biology-of-infectious-pathogens-waccbip
• Instagraminstagram.com/waccbip_ug

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) - University of Ghana