Lautech receives German grant to study relationship between malaria and COVID-19

The Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has received a German grant to investigate the impact and implications of COVID 19 and malaria co‐infection.

The benefactor is the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, encouraged to give the grant by Bayer Science and Education Foundation, Germany.

The grant entails the establishment of a molecular laboratory in LAUTECH to build human capacity prepared to handle disease outbreaks.

The research concept is entitled: “Establishment of Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases.’’

The German Foundation said in the letter of award to LAUTECH that it hoped that the study would help to understand the clinical and immunological responses of malaria‐infected patients to COVID‐19

The five-year funding would begin from August 2021 and end in July 2026, Mr Lekan Fadeyi, LAUTECH’s spokesman said in Ibadan on Wednesday.

At the molecular laboratory, Prof. Olusola Ojuroungbe, the Dean of Post Graduate School, LAUTECH, would work with Prof. Thirumalaisamy Velavan of the University of Tuebingen, Germany.

Prof. Mohamed Osman of the University of Khartoum, Sudan, would also be part of the research.