Cluster of Research Excellence for Advanced Infectious Diseases
Our Cluster of Research Excellence aims to address the next frontiers in infectious disease (ID) research in an equitable partnership between ARUA and The Guild members.
The Cluster aims to understand the fundamental biology of pathogens and of infections, and to inform drug and intervention discovery and development. Meaningful progress towards disease control necessitates an integrated and multidimensional understanding that can only be achieved in a partnership of complementary and synergistic expertise that our Cluster embodies.
Further, the under-representation of ARUA researchers in the field’s global leadership, and their limited access to cutting edge technologies, form major barriers for significant leaps in progress as many IDs are endemic in Africa. Our Cluster will overturn this damaging inequality, through an equitable and open revolving door model for training in existing skills, and through simultaneously establishing novel technologies in partnership between ATG scientists.
Ambitions
In 10 years' time, our Cluster of Research Excellence will have established:
- Establish critical mass of independent African leadership in infectious disease (ID) research and researchers in endemic locations, versed in all elements of modern research from laboratory to development to field.
- Establish African research institutions with cutting edge research equipment.
- Establish World-class research management and governance systems at African institutions to support researchers.
- Establish seamless exchange between African and European Infectious Diseases research communities and be a hub and a greenhouse for global collaborations.
Success will invigorate the local and global ability to treat and control ID improving health outcomes; break the tide of research talent drain; enhance local, independent leadership in ID research and development; encourage growth in associated local industries.
Our Strengths
We aim to understand the fundamentalbiology of pathogens and infections to inform drug intervention, discovery and development.
Access to expertise
In the latest molecular biological investigative technologies to research questions into African settings.
Successful collaboration
Decades of successful African-European academic collaboration allow the development of new therapies and vaccines against infectious diseases.
Funding leverage
By combining partner resources, leading to greater impact and income and the ability to solve global health challenges.
Tackling complex challenges
Via a wider audience more results via multi-site studies. Enhanced capacity building for all partners.
Our Team
Gordon A. Awandare
Director, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP)
University of Ghana
Email: gawandare@ug.edu.gh
Andy Waters
Head of School of Infection and Immunity
Dean for internationalisation (Africa)
University of Glasgow
Email: andy.waters@gla.systa-s.com
Lilach Sheiner
Deputy Head Parasitology
University of Glasgow
Email: lilach.sheiner@gla.systa-s.com
Steffen Borrmann
Professor, Institute for Tropical Medicine
University of Tübingen
Email: borrmann@uni-tuebingen.de
Our Project Managers
Alex Mackay
International Projects Manager
University of Glasgow
Email: alex.mackay@Glasgow.ac.uk
Dr Andrea Borbón-García
Project Manager for CoRE-AID
Institute of Tropical Medicine
University of Tübingen
Email: andrea.borbon-garcia@uni-tuebingen.de
Dr Phaedra Simitsek
Senior Scientific Officer
Multidisciplinary Centre for Infectious Diseases (MCID Bern)
Email: phaedra.simitsek@unibe.ch
Our Partners
University Cheikh Anta Diop
Moustapha MBOW, Professor of Immunology, Biomedical laboratory of UCAD/HMO hospital head of the Blood Bank and HLA typing Unit, Senior Scientific officer at Institute of Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF)
Email: mbow@ucad.edu.sn
University of Cape Town, (UCT)
Prof Nicola Mulder, Head of Computational Biology Division and PI of H3ABioNet
Email: mulder@uct.ac.za
Makarere University
Enock Matovu, Associate Professor, Molecular Parasitology
Email: enock.matovu@mak.ac.ug
Radboudumc
Prof. dr. Teun Bousema, Professor of Epidemiology of Tropical Infectious Diseases
Email: teun.bousema@radboudumc.nl
Dr. Taco Kooij, Ass. Prof. Molecular Parasitology,
Email: taco.kooij@radboudumc.nl
University of Bern
Multidisciplinary Center for Infectious Diseases (MCID)
Carmen Faso, MCID Co-Chair and Interfaculty Lecturer,
Email: carmen.faso@unibe.ch
Volker Thiel, MCID Co-Chair, Professor for Virology
Email: Volker.thiel@unibe.ch
University of Science and Technology
Bismarck Dinko, Senior Lecturer and Group Leader
Email: bismarck.dinko@knust.edu.gh
Other Partners (Not part of ARUA or The Guild)
Institute of Health Research, Epidemiological Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF), Dakar, Senegal
Prof Souleymane Mboup, Head of IRESSEF
Email: Souleymane.mboup@iressef.org
Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
Prof Maria Yazdanbakhsh, head of the Department of Parasitology and Cellular Immunology
Email: m.yazdanbakhsh@lumc.nl
Blantyre-Blantyre Research Project, Kamuzu University of Health Science (KUHeS), Blantyre, Malawi
Mwapatsa Mipando, PhD, FRSE, Team Leader of Blantyre-Blantyre Project & Ass. Professor Dept of Biomedical Sciences
Email: mmipando@kuhes.ac.mw
Institut Pasteur of Guinea
Dr. Brice Rotureau, head of the Parasitology Conakry (IPGui), Guinea Unit
Email: brice.rotureau@pasteur.fr
CoRE-AID Webinar Series
Bridging Africa-Europe voices on infectious diseases research. First Tuesday of every month.
15:00-16:00 CEST
13:00-14:00 GMT
Webinar Schedule
7 Oct 2025
Malaria parasites as a modle for mitochondrial biology - Taco Kooij, Radboudumc
Molecular detection of neglected fungal pathogens - Pocha Samuel Kamudumuli, Kamuzu University of Health Science
4 Nov 2025
Malaria systems serology - Tonney Nyirenda, Kamuzu University of Health Science
Cryo-EM structure of mitochondrial ribosomes, Shikha Shikha, University of Glasgow
2 Dec 2025
COST networks or making point of care diagnostics available - Andy Waters, University of Glasgow
Role of mitochondria thioredoxin in the redox regulation of Toxoplasma gondii - Mariana Ferreira Silva, University of Glasgow
3 Feb 2026
Molecular and cellular biology, with relevance to drug discovery. Mitochondria of toxoplasma and plasmodium - Lilach Sheiner, Universtiy of Glasgow
Evolution of antimalarial drug resistance in Uganda - Victor Asua, IDRC/University of Tübingen
3 Mar 2026
Malaria transmission from humans to mosquitoes - Teun Bousema, Radboudumc
A systems serology approach to characterise antibodies against PfEMP1 that may be protective from cerebral malaria - Josephine Banda, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
7 Apr 2026
High dimensional analysis of the immune system in areas endemic for helminths and malaria - Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Leiden University
Gametocyte production and infectivity among Ugandan uncomplicated malaria patients infected with P.falciparum parasites with reduced sensitivity to artemisinins - Daniel Ayo, Radboudumc
5 May 2026
TBD - Peter Kojo Quashie, University of Ghana
Statistical modeling focused on malaria - Jordache Ramjith, Radboudumc
2 Jun 2026
Giardia molecular and cell biology - Carmen Faso, University of Bern
Immunological landscape of HIV1, HIV2 mono and dually infected individuals in Ghana - Edwin Magomere, University of Ghana
7 Jul 2026
TBD - Steffan Borrmann, University of Tübingen
Giardia's endocytic system: a case study in evolutionary plasticity - Jonas Luginbühl
1 Sep 2026
TBD - Moustapha Mbow, University Cheikh Anta Diop
6 Oct 2026
TBD - Nicola Mulder, University Cape Town
TBD - Mathi Funk, University of Bern
3 Nov 2026
TBD
1 Dec 2026
TBD - Enock Motovu, Makerere University
Controlled human malaria infection in Africa - BARA Omotayo Anick Jacqueline, CERMEL/University Tübingen