A senior research fellow at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana, Kwabena Owusu Danquah, has emphasised that medical research remains the backbone of modern healthcare, driving the development of new medicines, diagnostics and treatment strategies.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (12 March), Dr Danquah explained that research is essentially a systematic effort to understand how diseases occur and how they can be treated more effectively.
“Research basically is the curiosity to know what is happening,” he said. “When it comes to medical research, scientists work together to find drugs with good efficacy and also to tailor treatments to individuals.”
Foundation of medical progress
Dr Danquah noted that nearly every major medical advancement—from medicines to diagnostic tools—originated from rigorous scientific research.
He cited the discovery of Penicillin as an example, explaining that although the antibiotic was discovered accidentally, extensive follow-up research was required before it could be used safely in medicine.
According to him, the development of drugs typically follows a structured scientific process that includes laboratory experiments, testing on animals and multiple phases of human clinical trials.
“You cannot just say you have dreamt of a medication and go and use it,” he said. “You need well-controlled and well-designed experiments to create the evidence.”
He added that researchers must repeat experiments several times to confirm that the results are reliable, a concept known as reproducibility.
Data gaps in Ghana
Dr Danquah also highlighted challenges in Ghana’s health research system, particularly the under-utilisation of clinical data generated in hospitals.
He described the country as “data rich but information poor,” noting that valuable health data often remain scattered across institutions without proper standardisation or analysis.
“We have a lot of data in hospitals sitting in isolated silos,” he said. “If we are able to standardise and analyse them, we can gain deeper insights and improve healthcare delivery.”
He said emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are increasingly relying on clinical data to improve medical diagnosis and treatment.
Role of research during COVID-19
Dr Danquah pointed to Ghana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how research can guide public health action.
Scientists at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research played a major role in testing and analysing the virus during the early stages of the outbreak, he said.
Subsequent research also evaluated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines after they were rolled out to the public.
“Even after vaccines are introduced, research must continue to assess how effective they are in the real population,” he explained.
Such studies help doctors and policymakers determine whether treatments remain effective or whether new solutions must be developed.
Diseases needing urgent research
From a Ghanaian perspective, Dr Danquah said more research is needed into both infectious and non-communicable diseases.
While diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis have received significant scientific attention, he noted that other conditions are rising and require more investigation.
These include Cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which he said remain under-researched in the local context.
In many cases, he added, medical decisions in Ghana are based on studies conducted in other countries.
Passion drives scientists
Beyond scientific outcomes, Dr Danquah said passion and curiosity are what motivate researchers to spend years studying complex problems.
“If you want to become a researcher in order to be rich, then you are in the wrong place,” he said.
The real reward, he explained, lies in the excitement of discovery and contributing new knowledge that can improve people’s lives.
“The excitement comes when you realise that you are the first person to discover something,” he said. “You are the first person to see the mystery and beauty of nature.”
He added that such discoveries are what ultimately translate into medical breakthroughs that improve patient care around the world.
