Written by Aliyi Hassen, PhD Student, CDT Africa.
I am a PhD student in Translational Medicine at CDT-Africa supported through the EnDPoINT-2 project, being implemented in partnership with BSMS and funded through the NIHR. I never thought my scientific journey would lead me to study the scabies parasite. My focus had always been on bacteria, viruses, and cancer, but now I realized that sometimes, science chooses you. Recently, I successfully defended my PhD proposal focused on developing a diagnostic kit for scabies; a neglected disease that affects millions but neglect in attention. This milestone not only advanced my research but also connected me with scientists around the world who share a passion for diagnostics, vaccines, and drug development. I meet people like me seeking additional skill on diagnostic, vaccine and drug development. I get opportunity to participate on alpha fold workshop, A Tool for Sustainable Development in Africa – Series 6”, held at the International Livestock and Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya, from August 11-15, 2025. This gathering of more than one hundred participants from diverse research fields proved transformative. It did not only highlight Africa’s potential, but also generated new partnerships, advanced technical competencies, and inspired a new generation of researchers, thereby expanding the foot print of access to health in Africa.
The training provided me with practical skills in modern computational tools to visualize protein structures, understand high resolution images of them, and to check the ligand for potential drug discovery. It was an eye-opening experience that not only introduced me to protein structural analysis and computational modeling, but also connected me with a diverse network of African and international scientists committed to tackling pressing health challenges through cutting-edge techniques. I gained hands-on experience with advanced structural biology tools such as AlphaFold, PyMol, and Chimerax helpful resources that revolutionize my understanding of proteins on protein structure. I was particularly excited to see how these techniques could be applied not only to drug discovery, but also to diagnostic candidate peptide validation, which aligns closely with my PhD research objective. Through the workshop, I expanded my technical toolkit and forged collaborations that will strengthen my PhD project. More broadly, this experience underscores how training, technology, and transnational scientific communities together accelerate progress against neglected diseases.
