Funded Projects 2015/16
Thirteen (13) research projects/initiatives received awards from the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund. All were awarded to initiatives collaborating with the CAPREx programme and awards will help to support research and research-related travel, workshops and courses in African countries.
| Research/initiative title | Cambridge & African collaborators | African country | |
| 1 | Application of whole genome sequencing to investigate Staphylococcus aureus outbreaks in Ghana | Professor Stephen Bentley (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge), and Dr Eric Sampane-Donkor (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 2 | Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) for the revitalization of endangered languages: The case of Runyakitara |
Dr Paula Buttery and Dr Andrew Caines (Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Cambridge), and Dr Fridah Katushemererwe (Makerere University) | Uganda |
| 3 | Health and Wealth: Interrogating the Role of African Pentecostal-Charismatic Spirituality in Socio-economic Development | Professor David Maxwell (Faculty of History, Cambridge), Dr Emma Wild-Wood (Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide) and Dr Paddy Musana (Makerere University) | Uganda |
| 4 | Assessing the efficacy of locally produced rice husk biochar in managing greenhouse gas emissions and the mechanism in improving yield | Professor Howard Griffiths (Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge), and Dr. Dilys Sefakor MacCarthy (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 5 | Role of aphids in the transmission of a suspected viral disease and the disease’s impact on the growth and yield of cabbage in Ghana | Dr John P Carr (Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge), and Dr. Ken Okwae Fening (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 6 | Development of a rapid sensitive detection tool for the identification of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes in clinical malaria | Dr Gavin Wright (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge), and Dr Linda Eva Amoah (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 7 | Alternative methods of cultivation of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta to maximize active compound production and prevent species extinction in the wild | Dr Lesley Boyd (National Institute of Agricultural Botanty - NIAB), and Dr Naalamle Amissah (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 8 | Use of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to identify novel antimalarial drug targets | Dr Julian Rayner (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge), and Dr Neils Ben Quashie (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 9 | Comparative transcriptome analysis of susceptible and resistant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes from Ghana to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) | Dr Uta Paszkowski (Department of Plant Sciences, Cambridge), and Dr Seloame Tatu Nyaku (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 10 | Identification and characterisation of Pectobacterium and Serratia species from Ghana | Prof George Salmond (Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge) and Dr Joseph Honger (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 11 | Framework for Disambiguation of Meanings of Near-synonyms | Dr Napoleon Katsos (Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Cambridge), and Dr Celestino Oriikiriza (Makerere University) | Uganda |
| 12 | Genomics and Bioinformatics of Infectious Pathogens | Dr Simon Frost (Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge) and Dr Samuel Kojo Kwofie (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |
| 13 | Identification of specific metabolites in Mycobacterium ulcerans infection: exploring potential diagnostic biomarkers. | Dr Jules Griffin (Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge) and Dr Lydia Mosi (University of Ghana, Legon) | Ghana |