Drug Discovery: Indigenous researchers deploying AI to screen Africa’s natural compounds – Gavi

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has reported the efforts of some African researchers to develop new drugs from the continent’s vast natural biodiversity using Artificial Intelligence.

Gavi, referring to an interview with SciDev.Net, an organisation that publishes news, views and analysis about science and technology for global development, confirmed the efforts of the group as narrated by the lead researcher, Fidele Ntie-Kang, an associate professor at the University of Buea in Cameroon.

Mr Ntie-Kang said his team is deploying AI to screen hundreds of natural compounds to find effective remedies for globally neglected diseases.

He said AI is key to unlocking Africa’s potential for homegrown healthcare solutions.

“By tapping into our own natural and human resources and applying new technologies like AI, we can develop homegrown solutions to our healthcare challenges,” Mr Ntie-Kang said.

He added that with over 40,000 unique plant species in Africa, the team aims to tap into the continent’s natural resources to develop homegrown solutions to healthcare challenges, adding that this innovative approach has the potential of unlocking new, less toxic treatments and reducing reliance on external solutions.

Unlocking potential of African medicinal plants

According to the researcher, traditional medicines play a crucial role in Africa, with over 80 per cent of the population relying on them.

He said Africa is home to over 40,000 unique plant species, representing 25 per cent of the world’s plant genetic resources, adding that more than 5,000 plants are used in traditional African medicine, “containing unique molecules that have been used effectively in modern medicine, such as quinine for malaria and salicylic acid for aspirin.”

He, however, said despite their effectiveness, African medicinal plants have seen limited systematic exploration by pharmaceutical researchers, with most of their medicinal properties remaining unstudied and few molecules being developed into drugs.

Also, the researcher said drug discovery from African natural products faces numerous challenges.

He said: “Drug discovery has traditionally been a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process, which has led to limited investment in exploring natural products from Africa. Additionally, there are infrastructural challenges, like frequent power shortages, which we’ve had to overcome by installing solar panels to ensure research continuity.

“Because the scientific study of African natural compounds remains largely untapped, knowledge-sharing and capacity development are crucial for rapid advancement in the field. Yet, visa rules and requirements in the West make it difficult for African scientists and students to access training overseas and build collaboration with international partners. These challenges have underscored the necessity of building our online natural compound database and ensuring it remains accessible to researchers across the continent.”

He revealed that the availability of basic research resources poses a significant challenge. Sourcing reagents from Europe can take weeks or months, whereas online orders in Europe are fulfilled within days at a lower cost. Additionally, there is a prevailing bias against integrating African natural compounds into pharmaceutical drug development.

However, Mr Ntie-Kang said they are making progress by showcasing capabilities and publishing research in reputable journals, gradually dispelling doubts about Africa’s potential for innovative drug discovery.

Accelerating drug discovery in Africa with AI

The team said AI is revolutionising drug discovery in Africa by dramatically shortening the process of identifying molecules that can bind with or interact with proteins in desirable ways adding that machine learning and AI enable the screening of millions of molecules in less than a day, a process that previously took weeks or months.

Mr Ntie-Kang said his research team is establishing a state-of-the-art drug discovery regional centre.

He said: “My research team at the University of Buea in Cameroon is establishing a state-of-the-art drug discovery regional centre, which will screen and utilise 400 natural compounds from the continent in order to identify new antiviral drugs. Using AI-supported techniques and working with an international, interdisciplinary team of biologists, chemists, geneticists, and computer scientists, we are adopting innovative screening techniques to identify natural compounds that may hold treatments for viral diseases such as COVID-19 and HIV”.

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To support drug discovery efforts across Africa, the team is creating a freely accessible online database of African natural product compounds, including those from fungi, plants, corals, and bacteria.

According to him, the platform requires no login and provides researchers with a valuable resource to identify potential treatments for diseases such as TB and malaria, and neglected diseases like Chikungunya and Schistosomiasis.

He said their work has broader implications for Africa, as it leverages local natural and human resources, combined with technologies like AI, to develop innovative solutions for healthcare challenges.