University of Cape Coast

Login
University of Cape Coast logo

Directory

ESC
  • No search results

    We couldn’t find anything with that term. Please try again.

Type ? for help.
Advanced Search
Prof. Akwasi  Anyanful
Active

Prof. Akwasi Anyanful

Associate Professor - ( Senior Member ) Department of Medical Biochemistry

Head of Department

Department of Medical Biochemistry

Deputy Director

Biomedical and Clinical Research Centre
ResearchGate
About

Profile of Dr. Akwasi Anyanful

Dr. Akwasi Anyanful is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medical Biochemistry of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS), College of Health and Allied Sciences (CoHAS). His research interest areas are in Biochemistry, Molecular and Public Health Biology. Specifically, he is majorly interested in the pattern of breast cancer distribution and prevalence in Ghana, molecular characterization of breast cancers in the sub-region by elucidation of unique biomarkers and targeted therapy by offering tailored treatment for breast cancer patients. His other interests are in comparative assessment of metabolic and chronological age and linkage between metabolic age and health status in the Ghanaian population.

 Dr. Anyanful has held and still holds many administrative, leadership and academic positions including Head of Department and Board Membership in SMS and CoHAS; External Examiner for the Graduate Schools in University of Ghana (UG), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS); Promotions Assessor for UG, KNUST, UHAS and Ghana Institute for Management and Public Administration (GIMPA); Past President, Current Scientific Committee Chair and Organizer for the Convention for Biomedical Researchers Ghana (CoBReG) formally Ghana Biomedical Convention (GBC) annual conferences; Former Organizing Secretary and current Vice President for Breast Society of Ghana; Former Editor and current reviewer for International Journal for Breast Cancer (Hindawi Journals);  Central and Western Region Coordinator, Ghana Genome Project; and Board Member, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, amongst others. Dr. Anyanful has also attended and presented both oral and poster presentations in C. elegans and breast cancer research at many conferences all over the world. He is a member of major Professional bodies including America Society for Microbiology; International C. elegans Community; Convention for Biomedical Research, University Teachers Association of Ghana, amongst others.

 Dr. Anyanful obtained his BSc degree in Biochemistry at KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana in 1990. He then proceeded to do his National Service as a Teaching/Research Assistant at the Biochemistry Department of the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS), Accra and completed in August 1991. He joined the Electron Microscopy Unit of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) at the University of Ghana, Accra from January 1992 to September 1996. At Noguchi, he was a member of the team working on rotavirus to ascertain its pattern of infection and serotypes. 

Dr. Anyanful then proceeded to Okayama University in Japan on a Mombukagakusho Scholarship for graduate training in October 1996 and completed in March 2002 with a PhD in Molecular Biology. During his graduate study, using the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as the model organism, he was able to identify and characterize two tropomyosin isoforms and elucidate the regulatory transcription factors using molecular biological techniques. 

After a short six-month Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in Boston from April to September, 2002, he transferred to the Ono Laboratory at Emory University in Atlanta from October 2002 to September 2004. During his Post-Doctoring training, he ascertained the mechanisms regulating tissue specific alternative splicing of unc-60 gene in C. elegans muscle and successfully secured a two-year Post-doctoral Fellowship grant from American Heart Association to support this work. 

From Ono Lab, he joined the Kalman Lab also at Emory University, in October 2004 and focused on using C. elegans as a model system to understand the pathogeneicity of Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and Enterohemmorhagic E.coli (EHEC). Specifically, his research was focused on elucidating both the virulence mechanism employed by the microbes and host mechanism that determine susceptibility or resistance to infection. 

From 2007 - 2012, he was promoted to positions of Research Associate and Instructor and his focus was on identifying and characterizing the crystalline forms of the toxin(s) produced by EPEC and identified a family of indole molecules that regulated the virulence. These small molecules identified were sent for patenting. All in all, an amount of 1.22 Million dollars RO1 grant was awarded to the Kalman Lab for his research work with C. elegans.

At Emory, he also collaborated with the Gerwitz Lab at Georgia State and the Schroder Lab at Cornell University, New York to identify factors in EPEC that trigger protective immunity against bacterial toxins in C. elegans and the role of small molecule metabolite signaling in extending lifespan in C. elegans respectively. The work in these two labs is still ongoing. He also supervised and mentored several undergraduate students at Emory University especially for the summer programs.

In June 2012, he relocated to the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and teamed up with his colleague Dr. Frank Ghartey for breast cancer research using the first in the world, a handheld optical device Breast-I, which detects angiogenesis and is therefore an effective screening breast cancer tool for resource deficient Africa.  Since 2013, they have screened over 15000 women and have been organizing the Cape Coast Breast Cancer awareness Program every October. At, UCC, he teaches Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, supervised several undergrad and graduate students and collaborated with several researchers from other departments in the College of Health and Allied Sciences. Dr. Anyanful is part of team that has been charged with the establishment of the new School of Biomedical Sciences and developing curricula for new courses in the College. In addition, he is a part time lecturer for the Medical and Genetic Counselling programs at the Accra College of Medicine and West Africa Genetic Medicine Centre respectively.

 Dr. Anyanful being a result-oriented and resourceful individual with a proven track record thus brings aboard his experience in quality Research, Collaborative Networks, Grantsmanship, Mentorship, Leadership and Teaching abilities. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Degrees
  • Poster Presentation

    November, 2019

    12th African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Joachim Chissano International Convention Centre, Maputo, Mozambique.

  • Oral Presentation

    October, 2019

    Cancer Genomic Research and Training Conference – Scaling up cancer research in Ghana Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. Accra, Ghana .

  • Oral Presentation

    August, 2018

    Breast Society of Ghana, Annual General Meeting Ghana Medical Association Auditorium, Accra.

  • Oral Presentation

    November, 2017

    11th African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), Kigali Convention Centre, Rwanda..

  • Oral Presentation

    July, 2017

    10th Convention of Biomedical Research, Ghana. Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Accra, Ghana.

  • Oral Presentation

    May, 2016

    Collaborative meeting with the Sino-Danish Breast Cancer Research Centre Copenhagen, Denmark.

  • Facilitator

    September, 2024

    Contemporary Issues in Fisheries Management. Fisheries Leadership Short course for Practitioners funded by USAID/Fisheries Recovery Activity Ghana.

  • Presenter

    October, 2024

    International and Regional Fisheries Institutional Frameworks and Bodies. Workshop on Destabilising Impacts of Distant Water Fishing Vessels (DWFV) in the Gulf of Guinea Yaounde, Cameroon.

  • Guest Speaker

    October, 2024

    “Promoting Research Excellence for Impact on Marine Conservation in Africa”, Institute for Oceans and Fisheries Online Seminar Series University of British Columbia, Canada.

  • Co-Facilitator

    October, 2021

    “Grants Proposal Writing Workshop” University for Development Studies.

  • Presenter

    November, 2024

    “Performance of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience”, Country Round Table Workshop Association of African Universities (AAU), Online.

  • Facilitator

    November, 2024

    “Regional Political Parties Dialogue on Fisheries: Protecting Our Fish, Securing Our Future, Live Engagement on JoyNews TV Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.

  • Presenter

    November, 2023

    Professorial Inaugural Lecture on the topic “Our Oceans: Securing Our Common Future through Transformative Research” Medical School Auditorium, University of Cape Coast.

  • Presenter

    March, 2024

    Africa’s Plastic Revolution: Advancing Global Solutions for Healthy Oceans, T.D. Walter Bean Professorship Public Lecture University of Waterloo, Canada.

  • Presenter

    June, 2024

    Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy. National Consultative Workshop for the Formulation of a National Blue Economy Strategy for Angola Luanda, Angola.

  • Panelist

    June, 2024

    Regional Steering Committee Workshop for the World Bank West African Coastal Resilience Investment Projects (WACA ReSiP and ReiP2) Banjul, Gambia.

  • Facilitator

    July-August, 2012

    Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change. Short-term Training Course funded by USAID Ghana.

  • Co-Discussant

    July, 2023

    “Expanding the Impact of Blue Economy in Africa” (with Professor Rashid Sumaila) World Bank Headquarters, Washington.

  • Facilitator

    February, 2022

    Workshop on “Winning Research and Development Grants in a Competitive World” Bolgatanga Technical University, Ghana.

  • Facilitator

    February, 2019

    Workshop on “Proposal and Grants writing” University of Ghana, Ghana.

  • Speaker

    August, 2024

    Study Tour on Sustainable Fisheries Management & Leadership University of Rhode Island, United States.

  • Presenter

    August, 2023

    Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Ghana Case Study. Bootcamp on moving fisheries from Vulnerability to Viability Puri, Delhi, India.

  • Guest Speaker

    April, 2024

    Workshop Presentation on “Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy in Africa Hohai University, China.

  • Participant

    2021

    6th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities Accra (Online).

  • Panelist

    2014

    Seaweed (Sargassum) Invasion on the Ghanaian Coasts, Implications for the National Economy and Management Live TV Broadcast, GTV.

  • Guest Speaker

    2010

    “West African Fisheries”, Workshop by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) University of Makerere, Kampala, Uganda.

  1. 2024-2025

    Team member, Contract for services to deliver a short course on Marine Litter under the OCPP

    Cefas/UKAID

  2. 2024

    Panel Chair, Reviewed Environmental Impact Statement of PECAN Energies for Offshore Exploration of Oil & Gas

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, Secondi/Takoradi

  3. 2023-2024

    Team member, Contract for development of a short course on Marine Litter for the West Africa Region

    Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID

  4. 2023-2024

    Team member, Contract services to conduct data collection surveys on abandoned lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in Ghana

    Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID

  5. 2023

    Lead Consultant, Contract for the Development of Fishery Courses Syllabi for Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS), University of Liberia

    IDA-V3100

  6. 2023

    Panel Chair, Evaluation of Applications for recruitment of Environmental, Social Safeguards Officers for Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI)

    World Bank funded West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme

  7. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Consultancy to review and align national fisheries and aquaculture polices and laws with the PFRS, regional instruments and global best practices for 15 AU Member States

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  8. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Mechanisms to Facilitate the Domestication of Global Instruments and Initiatives (2022)

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  9. 2022-2023

    Lead Consultant, Identification of Issues for SIDS, Development of Draft Strategic Positions for SIDS

    African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)

  10. 2022

    Team member, Environmental Systems Analysis of the Avu Lagoon Protected area

    Calgary Zoo Foundation

  11. 2021

    Trainer, Conduct Marine Spatial Planning Workshop in Ghana

    University of Liverpool

  12. 2021

    Team member, Pre-feasibility study for nature-based intervention for Anlo Beach community in Ghana

    Valued at US$32,365.00

  13. 2021

    Team member, Marine Plastic Pollution Study in Liberia

    Conservation International

  14. 2021

    Team member, Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate - WACA -VAR Workshop

    World Bank

  15. 2020-2021

    Consultant, Support Development of Multi-sector Resilience Investment Programme for the West Africa Coastal Area Management Program

    World Bank

  16. 2020-2021

    Consultant, Issues and Opportunities in the Ghanaian Fishery Sector: Addressing the context, prospects and challenges

    Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), United Kingdom

  17. 2020

    Consultant, Estimations on renewable energy investments in Ghana

    Highland Star Group (HSG) of Companies, Geneva, Switzerland

  18. 2019-2020

    Team Member, Regional Mapping of Experts and Institutions in Coastal management

    World Bank

  19. 2017

    Lead Consultant, Review of the Fisheries Act 2002 (act 625) and the Development of Draft Regulations for the conduct of Fisheries Impact Assessments

    Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) and GOGIG funded by DFID/UK

  20. 2013

    Team member, Environmental baseline survey of water bodies in the Great Consolidated Diamond Ghana Limited (GCDGL) mining concession

    AERC Ltd.

  21. 2012

    Team member, Scoping Study on the Dredging of the Whin Estuary in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis

    UCC Consultancy Unit/Consolidated Energy Ltd.

  22. 2011

    Team member, Social Ecology of Anlo Beach Wetland of Ghana

    Friends of the Nation/IUCN/French Global Environment Facility (GEF)

  23. 2010

    Principal Investigator, Biodiversity Assessment of Urban Wetlands in the Western Region, Ghana with focus on Essei and Butuah Lagoons and the Whin River Estuary

    USAID through Friends of the Nation

Footer

Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Wikipedia Flickr

© 2015 - 2025 University of Cape Coast. All rights reserved.