The School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) organized a public engagement on the topic, ‘Chasing an enigma: unmasking the mystery of HIV polyproteins for potential drug development.’ This follows from a cutting-edge research undertaken by Dr. Jerry Joe Harrison, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and his collaborators from Rutgers University and Salk Institute in the USA.

The programme was chaired by Dr. Mary A. Chama, Head of Department of Chemistry on behalf of the Dean of the School, Prof. Sandow Mark Yidana. In her opening remarks, the chairperson stated that various departments organize seminars to showcase their research findings and this is in line with the University’s vision of becoming a world-class research-intensive institution. She indicated the purpose of the program was to draw the attention of government, academia and the public to the implications of the discovery of the HIV Poly protein Structure with the potential of developing new drugs.  She lauded Dr. Harrison for his cutting-edge research on the HIV polyprotein structure, and said the public engagement was, therefore, essential to disseminate the research findings leading to discussions on the way forward.

Dr. Mary Anti Chama

Giving his presentation, Dr. Harrison gave a summary of the global HIV epidemic as of 2021. He discusses the process the virus goes through to infect other cells in the body, and the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS disease. Dr. Harrison stated that in 1990, about 290,000 AIDS-related deaths were reported. This rose to 1,700,000 in 2005 and dropped to 680,000 in 2020. The presentation also discussed the various HIV medicines approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1987 to 2021. Dr. Harrison then took the audience through the initial efforts to express and purify various constructs of HIV-1 Pol, and how those efforts failed. His presentation then highlighted the new media formulation for expression of proteins in E.coli - JJH Media which culminated in the discovery of the HIV polyprotein structure, with potential for the development of more effective drugs. Dr. Harrison ended his presentation by discussing areas for further research and possible collaborations.

Dr. Jerry Joe Ebow Harrison

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with a panel made up of Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, Department of Chemistry, Dr. Peter Quashie, Senior Research Fellow, West Africa Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) and Prof. Eddy Arnold, a Structural Biologist from Rutgers University, USA. Dr. Quashie and Prof. Arnold joined the programme via Zoom.

Emeritus Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah

The discussion highlighted the implications of the findings from Dr. Harrison’s research. It also explained further how the HIV virus behaves and the way forward for more potent drugs to be developed. It was observed that, initially, research on HIV was haphazard because scientists did not understand what the virus was doing in the body, or how it was replicating and eventually causing the death of the victim. Therefore, scientists focused on establishing the causative agents, then developing drugs to combat the disease. Though a number of theories were propounded, and some drugs discovered, the disease was still prevalent. Prof. Addae-Mensah intimated that the research done by Dr. Harrison and his team is a key part of understanding the puzzle about the behavior of HIV. He was quick to add that the research does not imply that a cure for HIV has been found. Rather, the research findings would help in designing new and very efficient drugs for HIV.

There were several questions and contributions from the audience. Participants asked questions on why there is always a late detection of the signs and symptoms of HIV, the way forward after this discovery, the possibility of the University patenting such discoveries, how the research has highlighted the link between chemistry and biology, and specific areas of further research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Participant asking question

In her closing remarks, the chairperson praised the speaker for an insightful presentation and also thanked the panelists and the participants for their contributions.  She indicated that the research has given insight to the possible design of more effective HIV drugs. She encouraged all stakeholders such as the Pharmacy Council, Ghana Aids Commission, and Ghana Health Service to support researchers of University of Ghana with funding geared towards research on HIV. She also craved the indulgence of industries to avail their laboratories for analysis when the need arises. Dr. Chama also called for more funding for students to enable them carry out research such as the one done by Dr. Harrison.

A section of participants

The programme which was organized by SPMS Seminar Planning Committee members took place on 3^rd August 2022. It was attended by relevant external stakeholders from institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana AIDS Commission, and the Pharmacy Council. University officials including Provosts, Deans, Directors, and Heads of Department as well as faculty, staff and students from various units of the University were in attendance. In all, there were about one hundred and twenty (120) in-person participants and over hundred (100) participants joined online. It was held both in-person in the auditorium of the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research, University of Ghana, and virtually via Zoom and other social media channels of the University

Group photograph with SPMS Seminar Planning Committee members