2022 Annual Report in PICTURES
Progress report and milestones accomplished within the year.
The Sena Institute of Technology is a private nonprofit research institute located in Penyi, Ghana. The mission of the institute is to develop novel technologies and expand access to biomedical research within Ghana and across the African continent. We achieve this goal through 1) hands-on training programs 2) international fellow exchange 3) conferences and seminars 4)resource development and core facility availability.
In 2022, tremendous successes were made in the fields of Genetics and Biodiversity Conservation. We documented more than 600 plants, 140 aquatic life and 20 insects. During the year, we trained 9 high school students, 2 undergraduate students, 5 exchange students, 5 interns and 1 doctoral student. We also added 4 National Service Fellows to the team. Students and fellows were trained in field research, data processing, microscopy, drug discovery and molecular genetics.
These efforts were made possible with the support of the Board of Advisors and generous donations from partners, grantors and individuals like you. Your donations enable us to provide the needed resources to train the next generation of scientists while providing support for biomedical research across the continent.
Thank you
Kwasi Agbleke, PhD
President, Sena Institute of Technology, Ghana
Training Programs
High School Training Program
8 students were trained in genetics, drug discovery, microscopy and field research.
Certificate Award Ceremony
Togbuiga Dadzie, the paramount Chief of Penyi, Togbui Ekle and Togbui Ahorlu presented certificates to students.
Biorepository Research
Worked with students and fellows to sample plant, insect and ocean specimen from across Ghana.
Internship and Exchange Programs
Local Undergrad Students
Hosted students from the University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast on bioinformatics and computational science.
International Exchange Program
Hosted University of Chicago fellows from the Global Health Initiative to develop programs for fibroid research and cell culture.
Local Students Training
Training students in molecular biology and genetics research including DNA extraction from fruits and E. heterophylla plants.
International Community Networking
2023 FASEB Conference
The goal of the conference is to stregthen Africa as a destination for international conferences
African Seminar Series
The series resumes in 2023 with accomplished speakers and researchers.
Research Collaborations
Partnering with global institutions such as Ocean Genome Legacy and University of Chicago.
Community Outreach
High School Outreach
We visit high schools to educate students on career options and opportunities at SIT.
Tree Planting
As part of World Earth Day, we planted over 200 trees seedlings donated by the Ketu municipality.
Corporate Social
We donated to the Penyi Fire Service Station to renovate and enhance its emergency services.
Corporate Social
We donated to the Penyi Clinic to renovate and improve healthcare delivery in the town.
Repositories
Digital Herbarium
Contains over 600 plants and their applications for therapy and food
Aquatic Life Research
Documented over 140 marine life across the coast of Ghana
Insect database
Recorded over 20 insects in Penyi and across the country.
Local Food Recipes
Recorded over 500 local Ghanaian recipes across the country.
Infrastructure Updates
Solar Installation
Installed 20kVA of renewable energy at the institute to provide reliable power for research.
Biosafety Cabinet
Installation of a biosafety cabinet for cell culture and -80 freezer for tissues biobanking.
Microscopy Facility
Microscopes installed - widefield fluorescence, compund, polarizing light and stereo microscope
National Service Personnel
This year, we increased our staff capacity with four national service personnel.
Welcome on board!!!
Mr. Prince Adomah
Information and Communication Technology
Ms. Doris Nyamedi
Financial Accounting
Ms. Fortune Dzidzienyo
Agricultural Science
Mr. Joshua Tetteh
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Scholarly work
Ethical Approval
Received its first Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the Ghana Health Services Ethics Review Committee to study the molecular genetics of fibroid among Ghanaian women, the prevalence of the disease in Ghana, and the burden of the disease on women and its impact on the Ghana Health system.
Publications
Manuscript on “Uterine Fibroids – Causes, Impact, Treatment, and Lens to the African perspective” accepted in Frontiers of Pharmacology (doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1045783 )
Manuscript on “eherbarium and plant conservation” under preparation.
Presentations
Invited Speaker (Scheduled for Jan 2023): “Digital herbarium and molecular characterization of plants“, Plant and Animal Genome Conference, San Diego, USA.
Invited Speaker: “Transition from Ghana to USA – Science, Technology and Passion” Global Studies Institute, Jefferson State University, July 29, 2022
Keynote Speaker: “Microscopy, Big Data and the African Advantage”. West Africa International microscopy Workshop, May 9-12, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Data in High Income Countries and International Settings” Center for International Health (CIH) symposium on availability of and access to quality data in health, March 18, 2022
Research Collaborations
We continue to work with Mr. Tonny Asafo-Agyei, a taxonomist from the Center for Plant Medicine, Mampong to properly identify plants in our database.
Partnership with Ocean Genome Legacy, Northeastern University to sample and sequence marine biodiversity across Ghana.
Partnership with the University of Chicago to establish an African fibroid cell line for subsequent sequencing and gene expression profiling.
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Conference is scheduled from August 27-September 1, 2023. The conference is on the theme “Imaging Cellular and Chromosome Dynamics” to be held in Accra, Ghana.
Partnership with the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission to support a doctoral student conduct his thesis research at SIT. Welcome onboard, Mr. Prince Afetorgbor.
Partnership with the University of Education, Winneaba to document local food recipes across Ghana.
2023 Agenda
Publications
1. Digital herbarium and plant conservation 2. Marine repository and sampling across Ghana 3. Ethnic food recipes across Ghana.
Conferences
Organize conferences, workshops and training on genetics, imaging, plant research for high school and professional organizations.
Partnerships
Maintain existing collaborations while developing new ones to strengthen research capabilities in Ghana and across Africa.
Research
1) Expand work on plant, animal, insect and marine life 2) Fibroid cell culture and characterization 3) food recipes across Ghana and their prevalence.
Donate and support our efforts
Address checks to:
Sena Institute of Technology Foundation
48 Glenville avenue, Unit 8
Boston, MA 02134, USA
Email: sitfoundations@gmail.com