The School of Public Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, has joined a major international consortium for a groundbreaking global health initiative to advance the licensure and deployment of a promising tetravalent live-attenuated dengue vaccine, DengiAll, across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Dubbed “DENSTAR Project”, the four-year project, which officially began on June 1, 2026, brings together leading universities, research institutions, healthcare experts, regulators, non-profit organisations and biotechnology companies from Europe, Africa, Asia and North America to tackle the growing global threat of dengue fever.
The project is funded by the Global Health European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership 3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU), supported by the European Union, with an investment of over €11 million to support research and clinical trials aimed at reducing the burden of dengue and other neglected tropical diseases in Africa.
Statement
A statement issued announcing the intervention said the DENSTAR consortium seeks to address these gaps through the development and evaluation of DengiAll, an innovative single-dose tetravalent dengue vaccine designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes.
The consortium comprises ten institutions from nine countries, including the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana), Panacea Biotec Limited (India), University of Siena (Italy), Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg (Germany), Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (United States) and the International Vaccine Institute (Republic of Korea).
The rest are Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné (Gabon), Instituto Nacional de Saúde (Mozambique) and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale du Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo).
As part of the project, Phase I and III clinical studies would be conducted among healthy African adults and children to assess the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine within African populations.
Global partnership
The Deputy Rector of the University of Siena and DENSTAR Coordinator, Professor Donata Medaglini, described the initiative as a transformative global partnership in vaccine development.
The Chief Scientific Officer of Panacea Biotec Limited, Dr Khalid Ali Syed, indicated that the project would have a lasting impact on global public health by reducing the burden of dengue infections, improving quality of life and easing pressure on healthcare systems.
A Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at the KNUST School of Public Health, and the Scientific Project Lead for DENSTAR, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, underscored the growing threat posed by dengue infections in Africa.
“Dengue infections can range from mild to potentially fatal in the most severe cases. It is becoming more common in sub-Saharan Africa.
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