Yaoundé–Bielefeld Bilateral Graduate School Natural Products with Antiparasite and Antibacterial Activity (YaBiNaPA)
The Yaoundé-Bielefeld Bilateral Graduate SchoolNatural Products with Antiparasite and Antibacterial Activity(YaBiNaPA) is a collaborative project between Bielefeld University (Germany) and the University of Yaoundé 1 (Cameroon).
Microbial and parasitic diseases are a dramatic public health problem in tropical countries. Therefore, strategies for improving the health status of the population in a sustainable and affordable way are of prime importance for economic development.Synthetic drugs are usually not affordable for a large percentage of the population. African research groups. Medicinal plants are different. However, due to lack of network coordination, instrumental facilities, and specific training, most of the investigations have often been limited to preliminary screening or determination of the chemical composition.
Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, analysis, as well as the development of drugs for the treatment of parasitic and bacterial diseases based on ethnopharmaceutical principles is currently needed.
YaBiNaPA has published a PhD students' interdisciplinary and translational way and thus created a scientific communication platform between biologists, chemists, pharmacologists, the public and traditional healers.
The training program relies on concerted learning, a combination of introductory training, on-the-bench learning, eaching by peers, and training in additional skills. YaBiNaPA focus on establishing timely research infrastructure in Yaoundé as a scientific platform equipped with appropriate high-end instrumentation for structure analysis and quality control (LC-MS) as well as biological screening methods with access to appropriate ICT media (scientific databases, literature, e -learning).
The Yaoundé - Bielefeld Bilateral Graduate School Natural Products with Antiparasite and Antibacterial Activity (YaBiNaPA) intends to exert impact in three dimensions:
- Improvement of Graduate Education: The network of scientists involved, together with improved technical resources and access to modern research technology, wants to provide members of the Graduate School with a broad scope of timely and interdisciplinary skills.
- Sustainability and translational research: The combination of the disciplines in relationship to potential application of natural products as well as standardized extract for therapeutic applications wants to confer the idea of translational research to the members of the graduate school. The necessity of sustainable supply of plant derived natural products or extracts is particularly considered.
- Improvement of quality of life: The joint research effort of the scientists of different disciplines is expected to lead to progress in the therapy of parasitic or microbial diseases.Malaria and leishmaniasis require treatment for the poorer population.
YaBiNaPA closely collaborates with universities and institutions in Cameroon and other African countries:
- University of Bamenda, Cameroon
- University of Buea, Cameroon • University of Douala, Cameroon
- University of Chang, Cameroon
- University of Maroua, Cameroon
- University of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
- Molecular Biology Center, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Center Pasteur (CPC), Cameroon
- Alango Foundation, Center of Phytotherapy, Chang, Cameroon
- Traditional Healers Association, Cameroon
- Abomey-Calavi University (Benin)
- Jimma University (Ethiopia)
- Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia)
- University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)
- African Center of Public Health and Herbal Medicine, University of Malawi (Malawi)
- Edo University (Nigeria)
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