Kelly Chisanga

• Africa-South Africa
• Zambia

• October 2023, European Union grant for capacity strengthening: The integration of nutritionist led enhanced clinical nutrition into healthcare and the educational facilities, £50,000.
• May 2021, Strategic Research Fund (SRF) from the Zambian Government through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) for Anti-Diabetic and Anti-Hypertensive Food Supplement, USD 31,000 (equivalent).
• 2020 HOS R Pfizer-ISID AFME Grant Challenge -Pfizer Global Medical Grant-Optimizing Antimicrobial Use through mHealth Enhanced Education of Pharmacy Staff and Communities: An Implementation-Effectiveness Hybrid Design USD 98,824.11
• December 8, 2020, Strategic Research Fund (SRF) from the Zambian Government through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) for Anti-Diabetic and Anti-Hypertensive Food Supplement, USD 31,000 (equivalent)
• November 23, 2020, Zambia - Mozambique Bilateral Collaborative Research in Health, USD 21,000, Anti-SARS-CoV-2/Anti-COVID-19 Evaluation of a Zambian Library of Natural Product Compounds and Selected Zambian and Mozambican Plant Species
• June 11, 2020, COVID-19 SRF, USD 4,500, Rapid Screening of the Current Conventional Drugs and Medicinal Plants of Zambia as Anti-COVID-19 Therapeutic Agents

Due to the urgent need for safe and effective drugs required to treat and control malaria and schistosomiasis which globally affect and kill millions of people annually, I synthesized and characterized over 65 new small drug-like molecules in a medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research program which was conducted at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The overall goal was to synthesize and identify chemical analogues which can inhibit the growth of the plasmodia and Schistosoma parasites. The research led to the identification of novel synthetic compounds that possessed duo biological activity towards the malaria and Schistosomiasis causative parasites. Interestingly, the obtained project molecules passed the proof-of-concept stage at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Some drug leads displayed the potential to yield a drug that is likely to provide treatment to the clinically untreatable juvenile forms of worms that cause schistosomiasis, a condition that is commonly known as bilharzia. The results were summarized and published in the following article:

• Probst, Alexandra; Chisanga, Kelly; Dziwornu, Godwin, A; Haeberli, Cécile; Keiser, Jennifer; Chibale, Kelly, Activity Profile of Pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles: Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel N1,1-Phenylethanamine Derivatives against Schistosoma mansoni; American Chemical Society-ACS Infectious Diseases, 2020-Special Issue on Gut Pathogens.

Additionally, the same compounds were found to be highly potent against malaria causing parasite and they interestingly, conferred high pharmacological activity at all the stages of parasite development cycle i.e at both sexual and asexual stages of the plasmodium parasite life cycle. Particularly, the candidate drugs exhibited activity at liver, blood and gametocyte stages. Activity at the gametocyte stage of the plasmodium parasite simply means that the derived candidate drugs could block the transmission of malaria and completely eliminate malaria from the globe. The pharmacological results of these drug leads fell in the sub-micro molar range with the most potent analogue reported at 100nM while displaying minimal cytotoxicity effect. These additional results were summarized and published in the journal of the American Chemical Society-ACS Infectious Diseases:

• Leshabane, Meta; Dziwornu, Godwin; Coertzen, Dina; Reader, Janette; Moyo, Phanankosi; van der Watt, Mariette; Erlank, Erica; Chisanga, Kelly; Nsanzubuhoro, Consolata; Ferger, Richard; Venter, Nelius; Koekemoer, Lizette; Chibale, Kelly; Birkholtz, Lyn-Marie, Benzimidazole derivatives are potent against multiple life cycle stages of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites, American Chemical Society, ACS Infectious- https://pubs.acs.org/doi.org/abs/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00910.

The above publication were to a larger extent, derived from the dissertation that I submitted for the award of Master of Science dissertation as contained in the following link: 

• Kelly Chisanga, https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=gtrW_kAAAAAJ&citation_for_view=gtrW_kAAAAAJ:2osOgNQ5qMECSynthesis, structure-activity relationship and solubility improvement studies of potential antimalarial and antischistosomal pyrido [1, 2-a] benzimidazoles, University of Cape Town.

• Title: Assistant Director for Research, Lecturer and Researcher, Chemist.
• Nationality: Zambian

• 2024, Oral Presentation: Evaluating the Efficacy of mHealth Education and Social Norm Feedback in Reducing Nonprescription Drug Dispensing: A Potential Zambian Strategy to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance, SHEPIZ 3rd Annual Scientific Symposium, Lusaka, Zambia.
• 2024, Poster Presentation: Evaluating the Efficacy of mHealth Education and Social Norm Feedback in Reducing Nonprescription Drug Dispensing: A Potential Zambian Strategy to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance, ReAct Africa and South Centre Annual Antimicrobial Resistance Conference, Livingstone, Zambia.
• 2024- Invited Guest - 5TH H3D Symposium- Emerging Treatments for Drug-Resistant Infections of Bacterial and Mycobacterial Origin: Addressing the pressing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• 2023, Oral presentation: Pharmacy Personnel Behavior towards Demand for Over the Counter Dispensing of Antimicrobial Drugs: A Simulation Client Cross-Sectional Study, SHEPIZ 2nd Annual Scientific Symposium, Lusaka, Zambia
• 2023, Implementer’s courser: ISO-17025 Technical Competencies of Testing Laboratories, Lusaka
• 2019, Oral presentation at Fifth National Symposium on Chemistry, Materials and Energy, UNZA in Conjunction with the Uppsala University of Sweden, Intercontinental Hotel, Lusaka, Zambia
• 2018, Training workshop on Purification and Chromatographic techniques, Biological Sample Management: A Hands-on Approach, University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
• 2018, Gordon Research Seminar and Conference (GRS/C) on Biology of the host-parasite interactions, Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, USA
• 2018, Southern African Malaria Research Conference, Centre for Infectious Disease Research, Johannesburg, RSA
• 2015, Medicinal Chemistry Scholarship, UCT, Cape Town, RSA
• 2015, Travelling Bursary: International Bureau of Standards (BSI): Implementer’s and Auditor’s Course: ISO-17025 Testing Laboratories, Johannesburg, SA
• 2011, Travelling Bursary: BSI Workshop for Environmental Management Systems, EMS ISO 14001:2004; Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series OHSAS ISO/IEC 18001:2004; Quality Management Systems, ISO 9001:2008 standard, Kitwe, Zambia

• Epidemiological Tools in Focus: A Comprehensive Assessment of Their Role in Addressing Infectious Disease Challenges in Zambia, Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 2(6), 69–79, https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.2.6.11
• Multicriteria Risk Ranking of Zoonotic Diseases in a Developing Country: A Case Study of Zambia, Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 2(4), 101–109, https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.2.4.14
• Activity Profile of Pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles: Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel N1,1-Phenylethanamine Derivatives against Schistosoma mansoni, American Chemical Society-ACS Infectious Diseases, 2020-Special Issue on Gut Pathogens, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00278
• Benzimidazole derivatives are potent against multiple life cycle stages of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites, American Chemical Society, ACS Infectious, https://pubs.acs.org/doi.org/abs/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00910

Pending Publication:

• Optimizing antimicrobial use through mHealth enhanced education of pharmacy personnel and communities in Lusaka province, Zambia: An implementation-effectiveness hybrid design (Submitted on 12 July 2024).
• Evidence-Based Behavioural Trends towards Over-the-Counter Dispensing of Prescription-Only Antimicrobial Medicines Amongst Retail Pharmacy Personnel and Implications for Antimicrobial Resistance in Lusaka, Zambia- A Simulated Client Cross-Sectional Study.

• Prof. Kelly Chibale, Director of Drug Discovery research Unit (MSc Supervisor), University of Cape Town, +27216502553, kelly.chibale@uct.ac.za
• Prof. James Mwansa, Director of the Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies (Professional Ref), Lusaka Apex Medical University, +260975214550, jmwansa@gmail.com
• Dr. Mable Mutengo, Director-Institute of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, +260977842352, mablem38@gmail.com