Bismarck Dinko, PhD, Group Leader of the Laboratory for Infectious and Tropical Diseases (LITD) and Senior Lecturer at KNUST, took part in the DKFZ and Alumni Reception: West Africa 2026, held on 8 October 2026 at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany.
The reception was organised by the DKFZ Career Service and Alumni Relations to bring alumni back to the Centre, connect them with current researchers, and celebrate the cultural diversity of the DKFZ community. The programme included a welcome, a documentary and quiz on West Africa, and a fashion interlude, followed by a panel discussion.
Dr Dinko was invited as a panellist for the discussion “Cancer Research in West Africa: A Changing Landscape.” The panel looked at how research across West Africa, long focused on infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and HPV-related diseases, is now giving growing attention to breast, prostate, cervical and other cancers. Panellists considered whether this reflects a real rise in cancer incidence linked to demographic change, urbanisation and lifestyle transitions, or improved diagnosis and documentation. They also discussed the state of cancer research in the region, key scientific opportunities, barriers and limitations, and pathways for equitable collaboration between African and European institutions.
As a malaria immunologist and parasitologist, Dr Dinko contributed an infectious-disease perspective, drawing on his research into host-pathogen interactions, transmission biology, and immune responses to malaria. He reflected on how the infrastructure, expertise and international networks built through malaria research can be leveraged to strengthen cancer research across West Africa, and on which elements of Africa-Europe infectious disease partnerships should be replicated in cancer research, and which should be avoided
Dr Dinko studied biology at KNUST and earned his PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with research on Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte immunity. He has been a Senior Lecturer and Group Leader at KNUST since January 2023, after nine and a half years as a group leader and faculty member at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho. He is currently a visiting Professor at the Centre for Integrative Infectious Diseases, Parasitology, at Heidelberg University Hospital.
He shared the panel with Dr Mohammed Abba, Prof. Ezekiel Femi Adebiyi, Dr Ofure Obazee and Prof. Dr Hedda Wardemann, with Dr Clifford Nwaeburu moderating.
