Zaria (Kaduna State): Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria has secured a 5 million euros grant to develop an AI-powered microscope for diagnosing parasitic diseases.
Auwalu Umar, Director of Public Affairs at the University Directorate, issued the statement on Monday in Zaria.
Umar said that the microscope would be able to detect diseases such as African trypanosomiasis, malaria, leishmaniasis, and filariasis.
He said that the University won the grant through MultiplexAI, the first Horizon Euro-funded project, which the Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB) at ABU will host.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, congratulated ACENTDFB on the feat.
Ahmed also commended Dr Gloria-Dada Chechet, the Scientific Project Leader of the MultiplexAI project, for the significant role she played in securing the grant.
According to Umar, the MultiplexAI project was designed for use in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
It stated that the tool also enables health workers to accurately detect multiple infections at the point of care, using only a microscope, a smartphone, and an app.