From London to Dakar: Science, Language and Collaboration in Multiplex Serology Training
On the 18th of October 2025, my journey to Dakar began on an evening departure from London Gatwick Airport aboard Turkish Airlines, connecting through Istanbul before continuing onward to Dakar, Senegal. By the time the plane touched down early Sunday morning, the first light of day was just beginning to stretch across the city.
After the long journey, I headed to Hotel Ndiambour to settle in before the week ahead. I had arrived in Dakar to co-facilitate a training on multiplex serological assay at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, representing the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and working alongside colleagues from the Institut Pasteur de Paris, France.
Although I am currently based in London, I am originally from The Gambia. Arriving in Senegal always feels somewhat familiar because of the close cultural connections between the two countries. While English is my main working language, I also speak Wolof, Mandinka, and Fula, languages widely spoken across the Senegambian region.
That familiarity made everyday interactions in Dakar particularly enjoyable. Whether greeting people in the hotel, chatting with taxi drivers, or speaking with colleagues at the institute, conversations often shifted naturally into Wolof or Mandinka. The Senegalese colleagues, however, found my Wolof accent quite amusing. Smiles and laughter would often follow when I spoke, and it quickly became a lighthearted icebreaker throughout the week.
On Monday morning, the training officially began at Institut Pasteur de Dakar. The training focused on implementing multiplex serological assays using the Luminex technology. The training was part of a larger collaborative initiative: a Wellcome-funded project on arbovirus Serosurveillance in Africa led by researchers from Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, along with several African researchers across the continent. Its goal is to strengthen the ability of laboratories to monitor exposure to arboviruses-viruses transmitted by mosquitoes and other arthropods-by applying advanced serological tools such as multiplex assays. Participants of the training included laboratory personnel from Togo, Benin, Gabon and Senegal, each bringing valuable experience from their respective institutions.
The week began with interactive sessions introducing the principles of multiplex serology. Unlike conventional assays that test for antibodies to a single pathogen, multiplex platforms can measure immune responses to multiple pathogens simultaneously from a single sample. This capability makes them particularly powerful for large-scale surveillance studies. However, the real learning began when we moved into the laboratory.
Wearing lab gowns and gloves, participants gathered around the Luminex platform to carefully prepare samples and follow each step of the protocol. The atmosphere was focused but energetic, pipettes clicking, colleagues comparing notes, and questions flowing freely.
One moment stood out. As the instrument completed its run and the first data points appeared on the screen, the group leaned in closer. Conversations sparked immediately; interpreting signals, checking controls, and discussing what the results meant. For us as facilitators, seeing this spark of curiosity and confidence was incredibly rewarding.
As the days passed, the lab became a space not only for technical learning but also for collaboration. Participants supported one another throughout the workflow and shared ideas for implementing multiplex serology in their home laboratories.
Outside the lab, discussions continued over coffee and lunch, covering everything from research challenges to public health priorities in the region.
By the end of the week, the training had achieved far more than transferring technical skills. It strengthened regional networks, built confidence in new platforms, and reinforced the importance of collaborative science.
For me, the experience was particularly meaningful: returning to a region culturally close to home, working with international colleagues, and contributing to a shared effort to strengthen arbovirus surveillance across Africa. And if nothing else, I suspect my Wolof accent may have left a memorable impression in Dakar.
Abdoulie Drammeh
Higher Scientific Officer
Department of Infection Biology
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine