Dr Nicholas Obuobisa Opoku is currently Senior Lecturer at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health of the University of Health and Allied Sciences. He currently lectures students on Communicable, Non-communicable and Neglected Tropical diseases at the undergraduates and post-graduate level. Prior to this he was the Director of the Onchocerciasis Chemotherapy Research Centre and a principal medical officer at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital. He is a clinician and an expert in clinical trials research..

Education

He had his medical school education at the University of Ghana Medical School, Legon. He later pursued a Master of Science (infectious Diseases) degree at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London.

Work Experience

He practiced as a clinician in the Regional hospital at Tamale and Municipal Hospital at Hohoe in Ghana for over 30 years. For 28 years he doubled as a clinician in the Municipal Hospital and a clinical trials investigator at Onchocerciasis Chemotherapy Research Centre at Hohoe, Ghana. He has conducted several Phase I, II and III clinical trials with the aim of developing effective drugs for the control of onchocerciasis.

Science/Research Output

He has received several grants from WHO Special Programme for Research and training in Tropical Diseases (WHO/TDR), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). Research conducted include: Clinical Evaluation of technology-bases diethylcarbamazine (DEC) skin patch for the diagnosis is O. volvulus infection. Output: Large scale studies of its sensitivity and specificity, about to start. Parasit Vectors. 2015; 8: 515. (Read more...); An Investigation of persistent microfilaridermias despite multiple treatments with ivermectin, in two onchocerciasis–endemic foci in Ghana. Output: publications; Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2004, 98 (3) 231-249 and Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2004, 98 (4); 359370: A single centre Phase 2 Moxidectin study comparing ivermectin and moxidectin in Ghana. Output: study results supported initiation of the Phase 3 study (Read more...); Moxidectin Phase 3 multicenter study, comparing ivermectin and moxidectin in Ghana, Liberia and DRC, PI for Ghana site. Outcome: (Read more...). Allowed Medicines Development for Global Health to raise 10 Million USD to complete dossier for New Drug Application to the US FDA. Output: (Read more...) and (Read more...).

Current and future studies include Safety and efficacy of combination therapy with ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole (IDA) for individuals with onchocerciasis study and An open-label study of the pharmacokinetics and safety of a single dose of moxidectin per oral in children and adolescents aged 4 to 17 years with (or at high risk of) Onchocerca volvulus infection respectively.

Selected Publications

• Opoku NO, Bakajika DK, Kanza EM, Howard H, Mambandu GL, Nyathirombo A, Nigo MM, Kasonia K, Masembe SL, Mumbere M, Kataliko K, Larbelee JP, Kpawor M, Bolay KM, Bolay F, Attah SK, Vaillant M, Halleux CM, Kuesel AC. Single dose moxidectin versus ivermectin for Onchocerca volvulus infection in Ghana, Liberia, and the Democratic Repub-lic of the Congo: A randomised, controlled, double-blind phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2018 Jan 17. pii: S0140-6736(17)32844-1. (Read more...).
• Partey, FD, Castberg, FC, Sarbah, EW, Silk, SE, Awandare, GA, Draper, SJ, Opoku, N, Kweku, M, Ofori, MF, Hviid, L & Barfod, L.Kinetics of antibody responses to PfRH5-complex antigens in Ghanaian children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. PLoS ONE, Vol. 13, No. 6, 2018, p. e0198371.
• Christian Bottomley, Valerie Isham, Sarai Vivas-Martínez, Annette C. Kuesel, Simon K. Attah, Nicholas O. Opoku, Sara Lustigman, Martin Walker and Maria-Gloria Basáñez: Modelling Neglected Tropical Diseases diagnostics: the sensitivity of skin snips for Onchocerca volvulus in near elimination and surveillance settings: Parasites & Vectors (2016) 9:343. (Read more...).
• K Awadzi, Nicholas O Opoku, Simon K Attah, Janis K Lazdins-Helds, Annette C Kuesel. Diagnosis of O. volvulus infection via skin exposure to diethylcarbamazine: clinical evaluation of a transdermal delivery technology-based patch.Parasit Vectors 2015 9;8(1):515. Epub 2015 Oct 9. (Read more...)
• Turner HC, Walker M, Attah SK, Opoku NO, Awadzi K, Kuesel AC, and Basáñez MG. The po-tential impact of moxidectin on onchocerciasis elimination in Africa: an economic evaluation based on the Phase II clinical trial data Parasites & Vectors (2015) 8:167. (Read more...).
• Kwablah Awadzi; Nicholas O. Opoku; Simon K. Attah; Janis Lazdins-Helds; Annette C. Kuesel, A Randomized, Single-Ascending Dose, Ivermectin-Controlled, Double-Blind Study of Moxidectin in Onchocerca volvulus Infection PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases June 2014 Volume 8 Issue 6 e2953. (Read more...).