In a landmark achievement for African neuroscience, Dr. Mahmoud Bukar Maina, a lecturer at Yobe State University, has been awarded the prestigious Wellcome Trust Career Development Award to spearhead pioneering research on Alzheimer’s disease in African populations.
Announcing the news on his Facebook page, Dr. Maina, a British-Nigerian neuroscientist, revealed that the multimillion-dollar grant will fund the establishment of Africa’s first open-access induced pluripotent stem cell biobank—a critical infrastructure that could revolutionize dementia research across the continent.
“This grant is not just a personal achievement; it is a significant step forward for science in Africa,” said Dr. Maina, who becomes only the second African neuroscientist to ever receive the highly competitive fellowship.
The biobank, to be developed over the next eight years, will provide researchers with the tools to explore how genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors unique to African populations influence the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Most of what we know about brain diseases comes from studies conducted in Europe and North America,” Dr. Maina explained. “But genetic and environmental differences mean treatments that work there may not be effective here. This project aims to close that gap by ensuring African lives and data are part of the global fight against dementia.”
Beyond dementia, the biobank holds promise for research into a wide range of illnesses. The stem cells generated can be converted into various human cell types—including liver and kidney cells—offering new possibilities for studying and treating other conditions affecting different organs.
In a move underscoring his commitment to advancing science in his home country, Dr. Maina has opted to return to Nigeria to lead the research effort, despite having spent most of his adult life in the UK, where he holds citizenship and completed his PhD and postdoctoral training.
“The UK has given me incredible opportunities,” he said. “But I chose to come back because I believe Nigeria needs me more. My goal is to help build the kind of research ecosystem here that once attracted me abroad.”
His work will be anchored at the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre in Yobe State, which he founded with support from the state government and Yobe State University. The new funding will help scale the center’s impact and cement its place as a hub for cutting-edge biomedical research in Africa.
Dr. Maina’s achievement not only marks a milestone in his personal journey but also shines a spotlight on the potential of African-led scientific innovation to solve global health challenges.
