Professor of Virology and globally renowned HIV researcher, Professor George Boateng Kyei, has emphasised that the ongoing prevalence of HIV worldwide presents a compelling challenge—and opportunity—for African scientists to leverage their expertise in developing anti-HIV drugs that could place the continent at the forefront of global scientific innovation.
His remarks came during Day 2 of the 2025 WACCBIP Research Conference, currently underway at the University of Ghana from July 23 to 25, 2025.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Kyei highlighted that the persistent nature of HIV, more than three decades after its discovery, has claimed over 40 million lives globally and continues to defy permanent cures despite billions of dollars invested in research. He called this an “interesting challenge” for seasoned and emerging African scientists to rise to, by producing groundbreaking solutions from within the continent.
“HIV/AIDS remains a global phenomenon, and the same condition has taken more than 40 million lives since it was discovered,” he said. “This presents an opportunity for African scientists to brainstorm, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to the global fight for a permanent cure.”
Professor Kyei explained that although currently approved antiretroviral medications help reduce viral loads, they come with side effects and rely heavily on strict patient compliance. Once medication is halted, viral loads typically rebound, highlighting a crucial vulnerability in existing treatment methods.
“Here at Legon, my team and I are working to re-engineer existing antiretroviral drugs to both lower viral loads to negligible levels and minimize side effects. The goal is to make treatment more effective and sustainable for patients.”
He further elaborated on the biological complexity of the virus: “HIV is notoriously unpredictable. Once it enters the body, it integrates into the DNA of various cells and mutates rapidly. This makes it difficult for drugs to completely eradicate it.”
Professor Kyei noted that due to this complexity, scientific projections suggest it could take up to 70 years to develop a fully effective cure—“a whole lifetime,” he added—given how the virus embeds itself and evades total elimination by current treatments.
He stressed, however, that progress is being made: “Science is still evolving. We must remain hopeful and committed to pushing the boundaries of discovery. Though HIV prevalence in Africa is now sharply declining, the scientific effort to defeat it must intensify.”
Professor Kyei concluded by urging African governments and policymakers to invest more resources—both financial and human—into cutting-edge research and drug development initiatives. This, he said, is the only way Africa can play a leading role in solving one of the world’s most enduring medical challenges.
Professor George Boateng Kyei is an Associate Professor of Virology at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and Director of the Medical and Scientific Research Centre at the University of Ghana Medical Centre. He holds an MB ChB and PhD and is a leading expert in HIV research and clinical care.
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Story by Sika Togoh|univers.ug.edu.gh
