R101m UCT project brings AI microscopy to Africa

The openScopes AIDDiA consortium gathered for the project kick-off meeting in UCT’s IDM. (Photo source: Sizwe Tyhali) The University of Cape Town (UCT) is leading a £4.4 million (about R101 million) four-year Pan-African research programme to bring advanced microscopy and machine learning to researchers studying infectious diseases.

Funded by the Wellcome Trust, UCT’s openScopes AIDDiA (Advancing Infectious Disease Discovery Research in Africa) programme will combine high-resolution imaging, artificial intelligence (AI) and specialised training to investigate tuberculosis (TB), malaria, Buruli ulcer and other diseases.

The programme brings together UCT, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Uganda, the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) in Côte d’Ivoire and Imperial College London.

It officially launched at UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) during a project kick-off meeting from 7 to 11 September.