05.08.2024
Alexander Yaw Debrah, PhD is a professor of Parasitology and Global Health at the Department of Medical Diagnostics and Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
As a typical African child who started his education in the 70s, Alexander’s academic journey has been quite challenging. He began in Akyem Buadua in the Eastern Region. By his sixth year of primary education, he had attended four schools in three different regions in Ghana.
“I started from Akyem Buadua near Akwatia for two years, moved to Akyem-Suabe for one year, and then attended Achimota Primary in the Greater Accra Region for one year. I then moved to Buoho for another one year and then moved toChirapatre and finally completed my primary education at Esereso in the Bosomtwe district of the Ashanti region,” he recounted.
Alex gained admission to Osei Tutu Senior High School in Kumasi, where he studied general science. After that, he went to T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School in Kumasi for his A-Level program. In 1993, he gained admission to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to study BSc. Biological Sciences.
Encounter with NTDs
After his national service at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital as a clinical biologist, he sought a postgraduate position at the Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) to pursue his master's degree.
Alex was fortunate to be hooked with the Filariasis project. Initially, he worked on onchocerciasis (river blindness) projects in the Upper Denkyira district in the Central Region. After a year, he also worked on lymphatic filariasis projects in the Western Region of Ghana. During this time, he truly understood the impact of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) on both the diseases and the people affected by them.
He witnessed people suffering from severe conditions like elephantiasis of the leg and scrotum, who were largely ignored by society. This ignited his passion for the field.
“As a young research scientist on the filariasis projects, I discovered that almost everyone I examined had the baby worm in their blood, indicating infection. However, only a few people had developed elephantiasis of the leg or scrotum,” he said.
Interestingly, he approached his German supervisor, Prof. Dr. med. Dietrich Buettnerwho couldn't also explain.
“I asked my German Professor, how come everybody is infected but only a few people have the disease. His answer was 'Alex, I don’t know if you become a professor of parasitology, then you can answer that',” he recalled.
He realized that understanding the cause was crucial for effective control and treatment.
After completing his master's, he discussed with Prof. Dr. med. Achim Hörauf his desire to pursue a PhD focusing on the genetics of lymphatic filariasis. He therefore collected samples from the Western Region of Ghana and, in 2003, joined Professor Hörauf’s lab in Bonn, Germany.
Alexander discovered that elephantiasis is not caused by the adult worm blocking the lymphatic vessel but rather the blockage is due to overproduction of some growth factors produced by the person in response to presence of the adult worm.
This revelation allowed him to identify biomarkers, which are measurable indicators that can tell us about the presence or severity of a disease. This allowed him to test antibiotics like doxycycline for treating elephantiasis and enlarged scrotum known as hydrocele.
He later found that doxycycline could kill adult worms, offering a more effective treatment than ivermectin, which only kills baby worms. This significantly reduced the treatment duration from years to just a few weeks.
