Zaria: Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria has secured a 5 million euros grant to develop an AI-powered microscope for diagnosing parasitic diseases. The Director of Public Affairs, Directorate of the university, Auwalu Umar, made this known on Monday in Zaria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the microscope will be able to detect diseases such as African trypanosomiasis, malaria, leishmaniasis, and filariasis. The grant was won through MultiplexAI, the first Horizon Euro-funded project to be hosted at ABU’s Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB).
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, congratulated ACENTDFB on the achievement. Ahmed also commended Dr. Gloria-Dada Chechet, the Scientific Project Leader of the MultiplexAI project, for the role played in securing the grant.
Umar stated that the MultiplexAI project is designed for use in rural and hard-to-reach areas. It enables health workers to accurately detect multiple infections at the point of care, using only a microscope, smartphone, and app.
