A NIGERIAN-BORN researcher based in the United States (U.S.), Godspower Okeke, has embarked on a project, using homegrown innovation to combat drug-resistant, Leishmaniasis, marking a significant milestone in Africa’s contribution to global health research.

Okeke, who is a doctoral candidate in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi, described Leishmaniasis as a neglected tropical disease affecting millions worldwide, including in Nigeria.

In a project he is conducting for his doctoral project, Okeke said the study would be conducted using an innovative dual-modality treatment approach, shifting beyond symptom management toward more comprehensive healing.

“This combines α-Gal immunotherapy (using virus-like particles displaying α-Gal epitopes) with miltefosine pharmacotherapy, with the potential to achieve more complete parasite clearance, long-term protection, and tissue restoration—addressing key limitations like drug resistance, relapses, and incomplete recovery in visceral leishmaniasis,” he said.

Okeke, who further described Leishmaniasis as a silent killer, said that the disease is predominantly endemic in northern states, such as Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto.

He said: “Current treatment like miltefosine is essential but limited by issues, such as relapses, toxicity, and emerging resistance.

My work aims to build on preliminary findings by enhancing these therapies through immune system priming for a potentially more robust and durable response.”

The researcher further said that the dual strategy seeks to integrate miltefosine’s direct antiparasitic effects—disrupting parasite membranes and inducing apoptosis—with the immunomodulatory potential of α-Gal.

“When delivered intranasally, α-Gal may induce both mucosal and systemic immunity, potentially generating long-lived memory T and B cells to help prevent relapses. This intranasal delivery and synergistic immune-priming approach could offer advantages over other research efforts focused solely on chemotherapy or alternative immunomodulators,” he said.