Door opener from Lambaréné
On a sunny spring day, amidst the hustle and bustle of the Albert Schweitzer Campus and the babble of students’ voices and the clatter of bicycles on the cobblestones, Professor Selidji Todagbe Agnandji strolls across the grounds. The medical researcher from the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné in Gabon lets his gaze wander curiously over the historical and modern buildings and institutes. This morning, he is heading to the Institute of Medical Microbiology, a place that marks a significant chapter in his life: since the end of 2024, he has held the new professorship in geographical epidemiological medical microbiology there. This is the first joint professorship between the University of Münster and an African university, a scientific bridge project that will initially run for five years.
For the internationally renowned expert in tropical medicine and infectious diseases, the fact that Münster has a special decades-long connection with Lambaréné, a city in Gabon with a population of around 26,000, came as a surprise. This connection can be traced back to the Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer, who founded a tropical hospital in Lambaréné in 1913 and worked there for many years. Albert Schweitzer, whose name now adorns the medical campus in Münster, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Münster in 1958. 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Research into tropical infectious diseases, such as malaria, remains a central and highly topical area of scientific research. With more than 260 million cases and around 600,000 deaths each year, primarily among children in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. Selidji Todagbe Agnandji has played a key role in this fight, leaving a lasting mark through his pioneering work in researching and developing new vaccines and therapies, including those for malaria and Ebola. He played a pivotal part in developing “Mosquirix”, the world’s first authorised malaria vaccine. The new collaboration between Münster and Lambaréné aims to make research even more effective in the future. “I have been working with colleagues in Münster for almost two decades. Partnerships between German universities and African research centres are crucial for sharing knowledge about infectious diseases, developing innovative solutions together, and ultimately strengthening medical care and social cohesion – both locally and globally,” emphasises Selidji Todagbe Agnandji.
Although Selidji Todagbe Agnandji would not describe himself as such, he is widely regarded as a bridge builder and door opener, connecting different academic worlds and perspectives. All too often, notes Professor Frieder Schaumburg, Director of the Institute of Medical Microbiology, African expertise is underestimated by scientists from the Western world. “A deep understanding of the local epidemiology, the specific transmission routes and the socio-cultural conditions that characterise healthcare systems in tropical regions is invaluable,” explains Frieder Schaumburg. As an experienced medical scientist who has led numerous research projects in Africa – for example in Gabon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone – he knows what he is talking about. His scientific interest is primarily focused on bacterial infectious diseases, especially zoonoses, i.e. diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Partnerships between German universities and African research centres are crucial for sharing knowledge about infectious diseases, developing innovative solutions together, and ultimately strengthening medical care and social cohesion – both locally and globally
A research approach that is still largely unknown in Germany is already making a decisive contribution to medical progress in other parts of the world: the controlled infection of humans. Healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with the malaria pathogen, for example, in order to rigorously test the efficacy and safety of new vaccines, drugs or diagnostic procedures in strictly monitored clinical trials. “We closely monitor how the parasite develops in the bodies of vaccinated or treated volunteers, comparing this to the development in untreated volunteers. We analyse the immune response, the progression of the disease, and potential side effects in detail,” says Selidji Todagbe Agnandji, explaining the process.
His fascination with tropical medicine and his research into neglected diseases were awakened at a young age by Maryvone Kombila, a dedicated professor in Gabon who paved the way for his entry into the field of science. What began as a personal journey has long since evolved into an international collaboration. Today, Selidji Todagbe Agnandji conducts his research in lively dialogue with colleagues from around the globe who are united by a common goal: to understand and combat diseases such as malaria.
Pandemics such as COVID-19 and influenza have demonstrated the speed with which pathogens can spread across the globe, and the vulnerabilities they leave in their wake. Countries that are well-prepared can respond more quickly and in a more targeted manner, breaking infection pathways and saving lives. Selidji Todagbe Agnandji and Frieder Schaumburg therefore want to collaborate on an early warning system for future pandemics. Although the African scientist will soon be returning to his home country, the collaboration will continue. He will be back researching and teaching in Münster by the winter semester at the latest, with new impetus and findings from Lambaréné, 8,000 kilometres away.
Author: Kathrin Kottke
This article is from the University newspaper wissen|leben No. 5, 16 July 2025.