Ghanaian neuroscientist honoured at Millennium Excellence Awards USA for Alzheimer’s blood test discovery

Thomas Karikari, associate professor of psychiatry and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine in the United States, was a proud recipient of the Excellence in Scientific Research award at the recent Millennium Excellence Awards ceremony in Washington, DC, under the royal patronage of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene. When young Dr. Thomas Karikari entered his laboratory in Sweden years ago for his research program, one question lingered on his mind: “Why don’t we have a good blood test kit for Alzheimer’s dementia?” This was a question that not only developed into a hypothesis for research, but one that was ready to transform biomedical research in neuroscience and enhance medical care for people living with the condition. Many scientists had attempted in their might to understand how the disease could be easily tested without an invasive procedure, but failed at it. Dr. Karikari was nearly discouraged in his quest for answers. “I was told you don’t talk about it. Companies have spent millions; they couldn’t do it. People have spent years, but they couldn’t do it. So, just shut up,” he recounted. But, burning with the desire, the neuroscientist was poised to develop his question into a groundbreaking practical solution to testing the neurological disorder with blood samples. ‘And I set out to do it as my side project. I wasn’t even doing it as my main project because no one believed it would work,” he noted. For decades, diagnosing Alzheimer’s required invasive procedures such as spinal taps or expensive brain scans. These tests are often inaccessible in many regions of the world, especially in low-resource communities. Dr. Karikari’s experience with limited diagnostic capacity in Ghana fueled the need for a solution. So, when he was headhunted to lead a clinical research program in diagnostic medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States of America (USA), he was bent on dedicating most of his career to developing, improving, and validating the clinical performance of blood tests that could simplify Alzheimer’s diagnosis. After grueling years and sleepless nights at the lab, he finally found a means to detect the disease. Dr. Karikari has about 300 publications to his name. He has published multiple seminal works in leading medical journals describing major innovations in high-performance blood tests for the neurological disorder. He also holds several patents and pending patents to that effect. Last year, Dr. Karikari was recognized by Clarivate as among the top 1% of scientists worldwide. The high-impact journal Nature also named him as a Rising Star in Ageing research, an accolade that was bestowed on only three investigators. These accomplishments have earned Dr. Karikari global respect and recognition as a leading figure in biomedical research. His achievements were celebrated at the just-ended Millennium Excellence Awards USA, spearheaded by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. “I am so proud that today I have made that contribution. A contribution that would change the face of how we treat diseases for a long time. This is just a stepping stone,” he gladly noted. Dr. Thomas Karikari’s groundbreaking research has led to the development of multiple blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Karikari further noted that two new blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This adds to two already approved by the authority over the last two years. Dr. Karikari’s mission is beyond scientific discovery—he wants diagnostics to reach everyone, including people in places like his home village of Manfo. He says a parcel of land has been acquired back home in his late mother’s hometown of Achinakrom near Ejisu in the Ashanti region to continue with the groundbreaking scientific discoveries in Ghana. He is poised to establish a research center to help advance biomedical research on the continent. “Everything we do must get back to our people,” he said.