August 1, 2024
GRA Eminent Scholar named to lead Georgia’s Solve Sickle Cell Initiative
Global educator Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah has established research centers in Ghana and the U.S.
ATLANTA—An accomplished researcher in genetics and sickle cell disease is returning to Georgia to lead a science and medical collaborative that aims to find new treatments and cures for the disease.
Solomon F. Ofori-Acquah, PhD is currently director of two research enterprises, both of which he started: the West African Genetic Medicine Center in the University of Ghana and the Center for Translational and International Hematology at the University of Pittsburgh.
Upon arriving in Georgia in September, Ofori-Acquah will have a joint faculty appointment at Emory University and Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) as the Calvin Smyre GRA Eminent Scholar Chair. The position involves leading the Georgia Solve Sickle Cell Initiative, coordinated by the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) in partnership with Emory, MSM and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
In his leadership role, Ofori-Acquah will marshal the state’s strengths in sickle cell disease research and care. He will also work closely with a transdisciplinary team of investigators across the state to expand the footprint of treatment at Children’s, carrying out clinical trials and improving access to new therapies and treatments.
“Dr. Ofori-Acquah is the ideal candidate to forge new collaborative approaches to fight a disease that brings great suffering to children and adults,” says Tim Denning, PhD, GRA’s president and CEO. “He deeply understands sickle cell disease and has worked to translate findings to benefit patients and improve access to essential medicines for the disease in Africa. And he has made a major impact in educating young scientists and clinicians to advance the field.”
The appointment marks a return to Georgia for Ofori-Acquah. From 2007 to 2013, he served as assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory, during which time he founded and led the university’s Center for Endothelial Biology, a research effort that explored cells in the inside lining of blood vessels, lymph vessels and heart.
“I’m glad that Dr. Ofori-Acquah is returning to Georgia to help lead the fight against sickle cell disease,” says Emory President Gregory L. Fenves. “This would not have been possible without the partnership between Emory, the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Georgia Research Alliance and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. It is this type of forward-thinking collaboration that positions Atlanta — and the state of Georgia — to take on the greatest healthcare challenges of our time with unmatched expertise and support.”
“Dr. Ofori-Acquah is world-renowned and exactly the right researcher to lead Georgia's Solve Sickle Cell initiative at this important moment in time,” says Donna Hyland, CEO of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. “As the nation’s largest center in the country for children with sickle cell disease, Children’s has been working to forever remove the pain and suffering of this disease from our patients, and Dr. Ofori-Acquah is going to help us achieve this goal.”
"Dr. Ofori-Acquah's appointment as the Calvin Smyre GRA Eminent Scholar in Sickle Cell Disease is a moment of pride for Morehouse School of Medicine," says Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG, president and CEO of the college. "His exceptional expertise, combined with our global genomics focus, will transform sickle cell disease research in Georgia, marking a significant shift in the landscape of healthcare innovation."
Solomon Ofori-Acquah’s career of nearly 30 years is characterized by significant contributions to genetic medicine and sickle cell disease. He has spearheaded several research projects funded by NIH, the World Bank and other organizations.
One of his most important contributions is a theory about what happens during a sickle cell crisis. Ofori-Acquah suggested that during such a crisis, patients have too much of a dangerous molecular component called heme in their blood, which can damage blood vessels in the lungs and trigger a condition known as acute chest syndrome, a complication that brings a life-threatening illness similar to pneumonia. To test his theory, Ofori-Acquah used mouse models to demonstrate the process. It was the first time that an animal model mimicked acute chest syndrome in humans, a breakthrough that has helped other scientists study the disease and explore ways to treat it. His 2013 paper on the topic has been widely recognized and cited by other researchers.
Born in Cape Coast in the central region of Ghana, Ofori-Acquah began his professional journey in the fields of hematology and medical laboratory sciences, working at a hospital in Kent, England. After earning a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from King’s College London, he focused his efforts on research, exploring the complexities of diseases like sickle cell disease and their genetic underpinnings.
Another notable aspect of his work is his involvement with the Ghanaian Genome Project, for which he has delivered several public lectures on how genomic research can help manage and potentially cure sickle cell disease.
The Georgia Solve Sickle Cell Initiative, which Ofori-Acquah will lead, was launched in 2021 as a collaborative involving Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, GRA, Emory and Morehouse School of Medicine. Building on research and clinical strengths in Georgia, the initiative adds mindpower, lab infrastructure and expanded treatment facilities.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which damaged red blood cells fail to deliver oxygen to tissues in the body. The disease afflicts millions of people worldwide, brings great hardship and suffering, particularly to children. Georgia has the third highest incidence of the disease in the U.S.
The chair that Ofori-Acquah will hold is named for longtime state Rep. Calvin Smyre (Columbus), who served in the Georgia General Assembly from 1974 to 2023. When Rep. Smyre left the General Assembly in 2023, he was the longest-serving member in its history. On May 31, 2024, President Joe Biden appointed Smyre to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
