Novel Njweipi Chegou

Early life and education

Chegou is from the Anglophone region of Cameroon. He studied medical sciences at the University of Buea and then started a degree in health sciences at Stellenbosch University. His master's research considered the immunology of tuberculosis, and he continued in the field for his doctoral research. His doctoral research identified and patented a QuantiFERON supernatant biosignature that can differentiate between active and latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Research and career

Chegou looks to develop a testing platform for tuberculosis. He has investigated different biomarkers of tuberculosis, and developed a strategy to identify tuberculosis meningitis in children and in places with limited access to resources, such as rural areas.

Awards and honours

2015 Stellenbosch University Rector's Award

2015 UNESCO-MARS award

2019 South African Medical Research Council Silver award

2019 NSTF-South32 Awards

2022 Royal Society Africa Prize

Selected publications

Daniel E Zak; Adam Penn-Nicholson; Scriba, Thomas; et al. (2016). "A blood RNA signature for tuberculosis disease risk: a prospective cohort study". The Lancet. 387 (10035): 2312–2322. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(15)01316-1. PMC 5392204. PMID 27017310. Wikidata Q33566308.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Walzl, Gerhard; Ruth McNerney; Nelita Du Plessis; Bates, Matthew; Timothy D McHugh; Novel N Chegou; Alimuddin Zumla (2018). "Tuberculosis: advances and challenges in development of new diagnostics and biomarkers". Lancet Infectious Diseases. 18 (7): e199–e210. doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30111-7. PMID 29580818. Wikidata Q52629916.

Novel N Chegou; Black, Gillian; Martin Kidd; Van Helden, Paul; Walzl, Gerhard (2009). "Host markers in QuantiFERON supernatants differentiate active TB from latent TB infection: preliminary report". BMC Pulmonary Medicine. 9: 21. doi:10.1186/1471-2466-9-21. PMC 2696407. PMID 19445695. Wikidata Q37227589.