Varsity conducting research on sickle cell

olamide oni

February 2, 2016 1:11 PM

Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Michael U. Adikwu has confirmed that the institution has already set up a centre of excellence for sickle cell disease research and control.

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The University of Abuja is conducting research towards improving the production of drugs for sickle cell and hypertension, Leadership reports.

A statement signed by the Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications, University of Abuja, Waziri Garba made this known recently.

According to the statement, Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Michael U. Adikwu has confirmed that the institution has already set up a centre of excellence for sickle cell disease research and control and that it would also benefit from a 25 million pounds grant to Africa by Glaxo Smith Kline, (GSK) London meant for further research on the efficacy of the three existing drugs for the management of hypertension.

Adikwu stated this when he received a team from GSK which was on the main campus and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital to inspect facilities for a trial pharmaceutical laboratory which is expected to focus research on three combinations of medications namely: Amlodipine-Lisnopril, Lisnopril-Thiazide and Amlodipine- Thiazide for the treatment of hypertension cases.

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Leader of the Glaxo Smith Kline team who is also the Global Health Projects Director of the firm, Mrs. Ann Duffon, and the principal investigator, Dr. Ojji Dike, of the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Abuja, said that the research on the combination drugs was to test for their efficacy and for those with less side effect in order to establish the best anti-hypertensive drugs for Africa.

The visit to the university, according to the duo, followed the success of an application for grant to GSK for research into the non-communicable disease stressing that the pharmaceutical firm would be actively involved in the project and would ensure skills transfer and exchange of knowledge on the studies with a view to expand the scope of the research and collaboration with the local academia.

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