Kwasi Adu-Berchie (he/him) was drawn to science by its wonder even at a basic level. While he grew up in Ghana, he finished high school at the African Leadership Academy near Johannesburg, South Africa, where a biology teacher instilled in him a love of the subject with creative lab assignments.
“The idea that we could change cell behavior, in a high school class, that was very exciting for me,” he said.
As he’s advanced in his career, Adu-Berchie has sought to channel such foundational discoveries toward improving medical interventions. A scientist at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, he approaches immunology — and the limitations of treatments that rally immune responses — from the perspective of a bioengineer, studying how researchers can modulate T cells with different materials.
Adu-Berchie’s work has helped uncover how T cells behave differently depending on where they are in the body. In turn, he’s explored how scientists can influence their activity by tweaking their environment. He’s also researched whether CAR-T therapies — which are given intravenously to fight blood cancers — could be delivered directly to solid tumors, along with ingredients that boost the cancer-killing prowess of these super-charged cells.
While Adu-Berchie’s scientific interest came from the joys of discovery, he’s also long understood the impact those discoveries can make. He’s now working to improve the durability and power of malaria vaccines so that fewer doses are required.
“From what I remember as a child, I had malaria almost every year,” he said.
He understands, then, what protection from malaria could mean for an individual, and for a community.
— Andrew Joseph
