Dr Michael Frimpong is a senior research fellow at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) and a lecturer at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. His research focuses on developing and implementing novel and innovative diagnostic tests for the detection of emerging and endemic infectious diseases in resource-limited settings. He received his PhD in immunology from KNUST and a postgraduate certificate in molecular diagnostics from the Ludwig-Maximilian-University, Munich. He has contributed significantly to the understanding and development of new diagnostic tools and treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly Buruli ulcer, and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles on the subject in high-impact journals.

Dr Frimpong was selected by the NTD Department, World Health Organization, to train in diagnostic development at Harvard University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA. In partnership with WHO and agencies such as the American Leprosy Mission (ALM), AIM Initiative, and German Leprosy and Relief Association (GLRA), Dr Frimpong has supported the implementation of diagnostic networks in Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria by providing technical support. He is a member of the WHO NTD Diagnostic Advisory Group (DTAG) and the Network of Buruli ulcer PCR Laboratories in the WHO African Region (BU LABNET Africa) and also serves on the expert panel of the network. Dr Frimpong has received several grants, including an EDCTP career development fellowship, International Society for Infectious Diseases grant, the African Researchers’ small grant program (SGPII) from the African Network of Neglected Tropical Diseases, a TWAS-DFG Cooperation Visit Program from The World Academy of Sciences and Germany Research Foundation.

He designed and leads the field deployment of the mobile van laboratory platform for molecular testing of COVID-19.