Research focus and origins
The OAE research team at the University of Antwerp builds on the pioneering work of Prof. Robert Colebunders and is now further developed by a multidisciplinary group working on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, prevention and burden of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy. Prof. Colebunders remains actively involved as emeritus professor, while Assistant Professor Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo contributes to the continued scientific development and coordination of the team’s research activities.
The team brings together expertise in infectious diseases, epidemiology, clinical and field research, parasitology, virology, data science and project implementation. Its work aims to improve understanding of the causes and consequences of OAE, support its prevention through strengthened onchocerciasis control, and improve care for affected communities in endemic settings.
Prof. Colebunders’ involvement in OAE research began in 2013, following his earlier career in infectious diseases, including work on HIV/AIDS and haemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Africa. In 2015, he obtained an ERC Advanced Grant for NSETHIO, a transdisciplinary study investigating the causes of nodding syndrome and strategies to reduce the incidence of OAE. This work supported epidemiological, entomological, parasitological, virological and metagenomic studies in Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon, and helped establish OAE as an important, preventable public health problem in onchocerciasis-endemic areas.
