Nutritional Metabolic determinants of skin tissue in Buruli ulcer progression and recovery
Grantee: Aloysius Loglo, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Ghana
Amount: DKK 3,997,701
Grant category: Research Grants
Year: 2026
Geography: Ghana
Buruli ulcer is a severe skin disease common in rural West Africa, caused by flesh-destroying bacteria. While antibiotics kill the bacteria, many patients suffer from extremely slow wound healing, leading to long hospital stays and disability. We have found that patients with this disease often lack essential nutrients like zinc and vitamin C, which are crucial for the body to heal and fight off infections.
This project will investigate how the human body processes nutrients (metabolism) and how gut health affects a patient’s ability to heal. We will study the wound itself, blood and stool of 80 participants to look for specific chemical markers linked to fast or slow healing. We will also investigate how changing weather patterns and poor sanitation affect food availability and gut health, putting people at higher risk. Ultimately, we aim to develop targeted nutritional treatments that can be given alongside antibiotics to help thousands of patients heal faster across West Africa.