Dr. Ofosua Adi-Darko, Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Pharmacy, is pioneering lab-on-a-chip technology integrated with artificial intelligence to accelerate drug discovery and reduce development costs for medicines.
Speaking during a UK-Ghana Science, Technology, and Innovation media study tour at Imperial College London, Dr. Adi-Darko explained that the microfluidic chips simulate biological environments such as the human intestine, allowing hundreds of experiments to run simultaneously. This approach significantly shortens research timelines and reduces reliance on expensive laboratory infrastructure and animal testing.
The chips, manipulating nanolitres and picolitres of liquid, enable researchers to observe how drugs cross artificial membranes—a key indicator of their effectiveness. Artificial intelligence further analyses the data, detecting complex patterns and predicting outcomes with higher accuracy.
“This technology allows us to explore locally sourced compounds from Ghana, supporting vaccine development and locally manufactured medicines by improving early-stage research,” Dr. Adi-Darko said.
Her fellowship, funded by Schmidt Sciences in collaboration with the Governments of the United Kingdom and Ghana, began in September last year. Dr. Adi-Darko is working closely with researchers at the Imperial College AI for Science Centre to develop AI-driven tools that could transform healthcare research across Africa.
“This project is about delivering faster, more accurate, and cost-effective solutions to healthcare challenges,” she added, highlighting its potential to strengthen Ghana’s pharmaceutical and biomedical research capabilities.
