Yobe-based neuroscientist, Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina, has made history by winning the Wellcome Trust Career Development Award one of the world’s most competitive and prestigious fellowships in biomedical science. This landmark eight-year grant will support his pioneering dementia research focused on African populations, a demographic long underrepresented in global health studies.
Dr Maina is the Director of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) in Damaturu and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, UK. He also serves as Honorary Special Adviser on Science, Research and Innovation to the Executive Governor of Yobe State. With this award, he becomes the first Nigerian-based neuroscientist and one of only two in Africa to receive this fellowship.
His project, titled
“From Cohort to Molecular Insights: Integrating an African-Centric iPSC Biobank to Decipher the Role of APOE and Ancestry in Alzheimer’s Disease,”
will be led from BioRTC in collaboration with top institutions in the UK, USA, and the Netherlands.
A New Era for Dementia Research in Africa
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. However, most current research and therapeutic developments are based on European and North American populations. Dr Maina’s project seeks to bridge this critical gap by establishing Africa’s first open-access induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) biobank using samples from Nigerian donors.
These cutting-edge “disease models” will allow researchers to explore how Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases manifest in African populations, ultimately paving the way for more effective, ancestry-informed treatments.
“Most drugs today are developed using data from non-African populations,” says Dr Maina.
“This means they may not work as effectively for Africans. With this biobank, we aim to create the models needed to ensure Africans are no longer left behind in global drug development.”
Driving Scientific Excellence from Yobe
“This award is for my research,” Dr Maina adds, “but its impact extends far beyond me. With the continued support of the Yobe State Government, BioRTC can become a centre of excellence attracting top researchers, building local capacity, and transforming healthcare through science.”
Global Partnerships and Recognition
The project unites leading global collaborators, including:
- University of Sussex (UK)
- Washington University in St. Louis (USA)
- Icahn Genomics Institute at Mount Sinai (USA)
- University of Pittsburgh (USA)
- VU University Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Johns Hopkins University (USA)
- Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Maiduguri (Nigeria)
- Yobe State University Teaching Hospital (Nigeria)
- …and other partners committed to advancing neurodegenerative research.
About BioRTC
Founded in 2021 with support from the Yobe State Government, the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) is a trailblazing institution dedicated to biomedical innovation, training, and capacity building in Nigeria. BioRTC has become a regional hub for neuroscience, imaging, and translational health research working to bridge global inequities in science and improve healthcare across Africa.