Early in his career he received an EDCTP1 Senior Fellowship, which enabled him to return to Mali, where he transformed a small team into a world-leading group of more than 30 scientists at the Malaria Research and Training Centre (MRTC) in the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali.
Today, he leads the EDCTP-funded West African Network for Clinical Trials of Antimalarial Drugs (WANECAM), which has conducted major clinical trials evaluating new malaria treatments. WANECAM-1, funded under EDCTP1, generated evidence that supported the European Medicines Agency’s approval of a label extension for Pyramax®, a fixed-dose combination of artesunate and pyronaridine, for repeated treatment of uncomplicated malaria, as well as the approval of Pyramax® granules as a paediatric formulation.
Building on this work, WANECAM-2, funded under EDCTP2, conducted the KALUMA phase III trial, which demonstrated that GanLum is a safe and effective treatment for uncomplicated malaria, representing the first potential advance in malaria treatment in 25 years.
His long-standing commitment to science has led to his appointment to the UN Scientific Advisory Board in 2026.
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