Instrumental Access 2022

University of Cape Coast

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Training the next generation of Ghanaian pharmacists

Scientists in the lab in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faculty in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Meet our Awardee

The University of Cape Coast was established in 1962. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences was established in 2018 to train students for careers in the much-needed fields of pharmacy and related pharmaceutical sciences.

The school comprises five academic departments: pharmacotherapy and pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical microbiology, pharmacognosy, and herbal medicine, pharmaceutics, and pharmaceutical chemistry.

The Department of Forensic Sciences at the University of Cape Coast is a previous Instrumental Access awardee.

Research Areas

The school's research interests include antimicrobial resistance, malaria, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases.

With Instrumental Access equipment, we can move forward with full characterization of our compounds. This places us in a good position to engage in translational research and pursue our drug development agenda fully. Ultimately, it will help us in our quest to bring drug products on the market from our country’s rich natural resources.”
—Robert Peter Biney, PhD, Senior Lecturer at University of Cape Coast

Seeking natural solutions to neurological disorders: Robert Biney, PhD

Robert Biney, Phd

Neurological disorders like depression, epilepsy, anxiety, and pain are some of the most common ailments around the world, but completely effective treatment for these problems is less common. This gap in treatment is largely because medicines are sometimes ineffective or, more often, unavailable.

According to Robert Biney, PhD, senior lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), the undertreatment of these disorders is even more pronounced in lower- and middle-income countries. He says that a lack of access to medicine and a deprioritization of neurological disorders leaves many with untreated problems.

Dr. Biney believes that the solution may be right under their feet, literally. Ghana is full of natural resources that Ghanaians have used for thousands of years to treat a spectrum of ailments.

As a pharmacologist, Dr. Biney wants to use the knowledge and resources around him to address the neurological disorders that are so often overlooked in Ghana.

The team at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is driven by one question: “Are there new natural compounds with better effects on neurological disorders?” The answer so far has been positive.

Using rodents, Dr. Biney and his team have validated the use of a number of medicinal plants for depression, anxiety, and epilepsy. They are now looking to identify the exact chemical compounds in these plants that can be used as a building block for drug development.

Characterizing these compounds, however, is outside of the school's technical capacity at the moment. As a young school, the labs are not yet fully stocked, and researchers often struggle to find the equipment they need for the advanced work of drug development.

Instrumental Access equipment will help to increase the scientists’ access to vital instruments and push these projects into the future.

“With Instrumental Access equipment, we can move forward with full characterization of our compounds,” says Dr. Biney. “This places us in a good position to engage in translational research and pursue our drug development agenda fully. Ultimately, it will help us in our quest to bring drug products on the market from our country’s rich natural resources.”

Instrumental Access equipment will promote teaching and research and ensure that faculty who return home to Ghana and have been trained on the most sophisticated equipment can continue to contribute to research in their home countries. They will have the right equipment needed to do impactful research.”
—Elvis Ofori Ameyaw, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Dean, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Cape Coast

About the Department

Location: Cape Coast, Ghana
Year Established: 2018
Students Impacted Annually: 500 undergraduate, 30 graduate

Why Instrumental Access?

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is preparing to introduce a postgraduate program in pharmaceutical technology and cosmetic science, as well as future programs in pharmaceutical microbiology and medicinal chemistry.

Instrumental Access will support the specialized equipment needed for the discovery, development, and manufacturing of medicine.

Shipment Status

In preparation

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About Instrumental Access

Instrumental Access empowers scientists in developing countries. It gives them the resources they need to pursue life-changing research and teach the next generation.

To begin, we identify a pipeline of scientific talent. Then we rigorously screen universities and select those with the most potential to advance education and research through Instrumental Access.

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