Establishing the Necessary Infrastructure and Knowledge for Teaching and Research in Neuroscience in Africa: Bridging the Gap

Sadiq Yusuf, PhDDept. of Physiology and Institute of Biomedical

ResearchKampala International University, Uganda

Introduction Compared to developed countries, poor facilities, lack of

funding and career development programs for neuroscientists, are considered the main issues confronting neuroscience research in Africa today.

This presentation discusses the approaches that can be employed to bridge the gap in neuroscience knowledge between the developed and African countries to:

improve research output,

eliminate brain drain

improve national development.

These strategies include

Neuroscience Programs

Developed countries account for

some 84% of the global investment in scientific research and development,

approximately 72% of the world researchers, and

produced approximately 88% of all scientific and technical publications registered by the Science Citation Index (2012).

Neuroscience Programs

IBRO

National Academy of Sciences

Society for Neuroscience [SFN]

The Grass Foundation

TWAS

International Society of Neurochemistry [ISN]

UNESCO

In the hope of helping scientists in Africa to experience the process of designing and conducting experiments,

Neuroscience Programs

Janis Weeks

Abdul Mohammed

Sharon Juliano

Albert Aguayo

Adesola Ogunniyi

Rajesh N. Kalaria

Willis Daniels

Vivienne Russell

Nilesh B. Patel

Nouria Lakhdar Ghazal

Neuroscience Programs

These organizations and individuals have been funding and conducting series of teacher training and scientific workshops for the last 2 decades to:

promote capacity building in neuroscience education in Africa universities,

the advancement of neuroscience research and improvement of medical care

Neuroscience Programs

Participants drawn from different countries in the continent are exposed to:

basic lectures on neuroscience concepts

the latest scientific techniques in neuroscience research and analysis of complex data sets.

Neuroscience Programs

These training workshops have enabled scientists from Africa countries to conduct research or spend time in well-established Labs or to establish collaborations with prominent scientists.

However, for these initiatives to succeed in the long term and address the prevailing need for up-grade in neuroscience training in Africa countries

there should be a coordinated development of an interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the award of M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Neuroscience.

Neuroscience Programs

The objectives of such graduate program should be:

1. to educate graduate students as neuroscientists with intensive experience in at least one area of research

2. to ensure that students in the program develop a broadly based knowledge of the neurosciences.

3. to prepare each student to make significant contributions in neuroscience and fosters development from trainee to independent research scientist and educator.

Neuroscience Programs

Teaching and Research in Neuroscience (TReND) in Africa and Kampala International University, Uganda is trying to address this problem head-on by

1. introducing a creative way of using cheap and readily available models to conducting cutting edge research in Africa

2. developing a multidisciplinary MSc program in neuroscience.

Neuroscience Research Facilities

Neuroscience Research Facilities

The ability of many scientists in African universities or research groups to undertake in-depth research is often hampered by lack of modern equipment, lack of appropriate technology

However, institutions of higher learning can benefit from organizations such as Adequacion, TReND in Africa, or Seeding Labs.

These organizations work with universities, hospitals and companies to provide second-hand laboratory and medical equipment in good condition for the developing world

Neuroscience Research Facilities

For example, the annual insect neurogenetics course organized by TReND with support from IBRO, AD Instruments, Cambridge University and other organizations is providing a good foundation for those interested in pursuing research in neuroscience in African universities with the necessary tools for incorporating Drosophila as a model organism for neuroscience research.

The course provided equipment and expert training of junior faculty and at the end of the course, the equipment remains in the host institution.

Research Funding

Research Funding

For a country to have a strong sustainable, diversified economy that will help lift the country out of poverty, it must invest in its own research community.

In most African countries where political instability is rife and food shortages are real, supporting scientific research may not seem like an obvious priority.

Research Funding

In the face of lack essential survival requirements or a sufficiently cooperative government, how do scientists in these countries work to tackle research problems related to local needs?

One answer is to encourage regional collaborations.

Neurex in Europe and International Institute for Neurosciences of Natal [IINN] in Brazil provides a good example of such regional collaboration.

Research Funding

Neurex is composed of more than 100 specialized laboratories from three Universities in the Upper Rhine region of Europe Basel in Switzerland

Strasbourg in France

Freiburg in Germany

The network has more than 1,200 academics and researchers whose main aim is to develop scientific and industrial exchanges in the region.

It is, in effect, a center of excellence that is unique in Europe.

Research Funding

IINN has garnered praises for its socially conscious mission to foster economic development, has been cited as an example of Brazil's promising research enterprise.

IINN was established by Miguel Nicolelis (considered one of the 20 most important neuroscientists in activity in the last decade), Sidarta Ribeiro and Claudio Mello.

Research Funding

The Neurex and IINN model can provide a valuable model for Africa countries with similar needs for neuroscience research in retaining and attracting the brightest researchers in the field of Neurosciences.

Such structure with worldwide recognition can be developed in Africa by researchers who have established their careers in the developed countries and has collaboration with established labs.

the aim of finding low-tech, high impact ways of delivery neuroscience training in Africa should not be viewed as just knowledge transfer but the spark that leads to new collaborations and a stronger global science community.

Failure to take matters into our hands, outside efforts will flounder, and Africa’s brightest students will keep heading for distant lands.

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

Prof Abdul Mohammed

Janis Weeks

Lucia Prieto Godino

Tom Barden

Staff and Students Kampala International University

Alumni of the Insect Neurogenetics Course

Thank You