By Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, Jan 05, GNA – In the quiet laboratory of the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), in Melbourne, United States of America (USA), Moses Mayonu, a Ghanaian scientist is working at the frontier of a discipline that seeks to optimize and advance diagnosis in medical practice.
Mr Mayonu, who is pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, believes his research which focuses on metabolomics; the study of small molecules known as metabolites, could hold the key to transforming how diseases are diagnosed and treated across the continent.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said the molecules which are produced during biological processes, act as biochemical fingerprints, revealing what has happened or is happening inside a living system.
“Metabolomics tells us the story of a disease at the molecular level, and by studying these small molecules, we can identify biomarkers that distinguish a healthy person from someone with a disease,” he said.
Humble beginnings to the frontiers of science
From humble beginnings in Ghana’s Western North Region, where he had his basic education, Mr Mayonu who is in his third year at the FIT, continued his secondary education at Chemu Senior High school in Tema studying General Science between 2008 and 2011.
Driven by a passion for chemistry, he enrolled at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), earning a degree in Chemistry in 2017, and did a year’s teaching at Apam Senior High School between 2018 and 2019.
Mr Mayonu then travalled to Germany where he pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Siegen in Germany, specializing in Analytical, and Surface Chemistry, where he completed in 2023.
That training, he said, laid the foundation for his current work in the USA, where he now integrates Analytical Chemistry, Metabolomics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning in his research.
Beyond traditional diagnosis
Explaining the prospect of Metabolomics in diagnosis and treatment, Mr Mayonu said Metabolomics goes beyond traditional diagnostics by capturing the end products of metabolism.
This is what cells actually produce after genes and proteins have done their work.
He said by combining high-resolution analytical tools with AI-driven data analysis, his research aims to predict treatment responses, automate sample analysis, and improve disease classification.
“This is an approach with applications in medicine, agriculture, and environmental science,” he said.
Mr Mayonu, likely to be the first Ghanaian to publish research in metabolomics, said his works would help in establishing a presence for African scientists in a field that is still dominated by institutions in Europe and North America.
“When I started my research work, I searched extensively and found very few Africans, let alone Ghanaians working in metabolomics at an advanced level,” he said.
Why Metabolomics
Mr Mayonu who noted that studying metabolomics was not just an academic pursuit, said it was a tool that the African continent urgently needs for its own biological and environmental realities.
He explained that many diseases, pathogens, and even vectors in Africa differ significantly from those in Western countries, and as a result, diagnostic tools and treatments developed elsewhere are often poorly suited to African conditions.
“We are facing diseases and variants that are not common in Europe or the United States, hence the need for our own diagnostic tools and design,” he stressed.
Expressing optimism about Metabolomics and its prospect for healthcare in Africa, he said it would help in developing precision diagnostics and therapies tailored to local disease patterns ranging from infectious diseases to metabolic disorders.
Accessibility and cost challenges
Mr Mayonu said despite its prospects for medical diagnosis and treatment, Metabolomics remains largely inaccessible in Africa due to the high cost of equipment, such as mass spectrometers and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) systems.
“The knowledge exists, but the tools are expensive, and without funding, you simply cannot do this kind of research,” he says.
Pointing out limited research funding as one of the biggest challenge facing scientists in Ghana and across the continent, Mr Mayonu called on African government to support and investment in research that holds prospects for the continent.
He said while countries like the United States invested heavily through agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), similar large-scale, well-resourced funding structures were largely absent in Ghana and the continent.
“Most African scientists rely on external funding, and that limits independence and slows progress,” he noted.
Invest in science
He said beyond government support and participation, corporate organisations, industries, and philanthropists must see science as an investment rather than an expense.
“Science drives economies, and every advanced economy we see today is built on sustained investment in research,” he said.
Mr Mayonu, who urged industries to partner with universities and researchers, said such collaborations could lead to innovation, improved products, and long-term profitability.
He said supporting research today might not yield immediate returns, but in a few years, it could transform industries and healthcare systems.
Mr Mayonu, who is also a co-founder of an initiative called Study Destinations, which supports African students seeking opportunities to study abroad, particularly those passionate about research but constrained by funding, said his ultimate goal is not permanent migration but capacity building.
“We are willing to return home and serve. We have the skills, the ambition, and the commitment. What we need are the resources and the structures to make meaningful impact,” he said.
The Future Through Metabolomics
Describing metabolomics as the peak of the omics sciences, he said, “if Africa invests in metabolomics now, we can leapfrog in diagnostics and personalised medicine.”
“It is an integration of genomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics to provide the most comprehensive understanding of biological systems,” he added.
For him, the future of African healthcare will be shaped not only by doctors and hospitals, but by scientists working quietly behind the scenes, decoding molecules, building models, and laying the foundations for a healthier continent.
GNA
05 Jan. 2026
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong