• Advertise
  • Jobs
  • Freelance Gigs
  • Motoring
  • Money
Thursday, May 26, 2022
  • Login
  • Startups
    • About US
  • Reviews
  • Business
  • Motoring
  • Blockchain
    • Crypto News
  • Insider
    • Obituaries
  • Women
  • Hacks & Facts
    • How To
  • Editions
    • US Edition
    • India Edition
    • MENA Edition
    • Asia Edition
    • Europe Edition
    • International Edition
  • Columnists
No Result
View All Result
  • Startups
    • About US
  • Reviews
  • Business
  • Motoring
  • Blockchain
    • Crypto News
  • Insider
    • Obituaries
  • Women
  • Hacks & Facts
    • How To
  • Editions
    • US Edition
    • India Edition
    • MENA Edition
    • Asia Edition
    • Europe Edition
    • International Edition
  • Columnists
No Result
View All Result
TechMoran
No Result
View All Result
Home Startups

Nigeria’s 54gene Completes Initial Phase of the 100K Genome Project 

54gene, the health technology company advancing African genomics research for improved global health outcomes, has through its non-profit initiative, the African Centre for Translational Genetics (ACTG), completed its first consortium-led publication on over 100,000 Nigerians as commissioned in 2020 at its launch.

The Non-Communicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study (NCD-GHS) consortium has published a paper in the esteemed journal, Nature Genetics, entitled “Promoting the Genomic Revolution in Africa through the Nigerian 100k Genome Project”. 

54gene Founder and CEO, Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, said, “Along with our partners, we are proud to be leading the new frontier of African genomics. Precision medicine goes against the one-size-fits-all approach to disease treatment as it is more inclusive, with people treated on their unique genetic makeup. With more than 200 ethnic groups and 500 different languages, Nigeria has one of the most diverse ethnolinguistic concentrations in the world. This pioneering study from the Nigerian population provides an excellent window into the representation of diversity across Africa. With recruitment nearly complete and the commencement of data generation and bioinformatics analysis, we are excited at how this study makes the promise of precision medicine more attainable to Nigerians, Africans and the global population.”

Through 54gene’s ACTG, the consortium operates as a unique public-private partnership involving leading African scientists guided by a team of global genomic leaders as the Scientific Advisory Board to achieve the mission of the ACTG. The consortium, which is made up of scientists from 54gene, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and the Center for Genomics Research and Innovation at the National Biotechnology Development Agency as well as researchers from multiple academic institutions in Nigeria and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is built on a shared vision of positioning African populations to benefit from advances in genomic science. 

According to the paper, as of January 2019, approximately 3% of genomic data being used for genome wide association studies (GWAS) came from people of African descent, with this statistic dropping to 1.1% in 2021. The paper details efforts in building an important resource that could significantly enable African populations to benefit from the global efforts at achieving precision medicine for various diseases.

The study spans the breadth of the Nigerian population with data gathered from the 6 geopolitical zones in the country and sampling from the majority of the more than200 ethnolinguistic groups, with ethically consulted participants being recruited falling under two categories: disease cases recruited from disease specialist clinics, and community cases which are individuals with initially unknown diseases recruited from communities through household surveys.

Aminu Yakubu, VP Research Governance and Ethics, said, “Building on the legacy of the H3Africa project, the capacity building objective of the NCD-GHS in the 100K Genome Project is a strategic undertaking that would catalyse the future we envisage – of Africans with the skillset and knowledge, able to lead genomic insights generation and development to address health challenges faced by Africans over the long haul. It is a people-facing impact creation initiative that puts the social value of the work we do at the center, facilitated through the African Center for Translational Genetics. ” 

The focus of one of the NCD-GHS agendas on governance and ethics was deliberate to ensure that we are aligned with existing country-specific and international best practices. Our commitment to also support academic thought leadership on ethics and governance issues in genomics research would allow us to evolve as we learn of better ways to protect the welfare of research participants and ensure fairness in research collaborations.”  added Yakubu.

Readers 405

Share

  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Milcah Lukhanyu

Milcah Lukhanyu

Related Posts

develoPPP Ventures to grant up to 100,000 euros to startups in Ghana & East Africa for suitable growth
Startups

develoPPP Ventures to grant up to 100,000 euros to startups in Ghana & East Africa for suitable growth

by James Musoba
May 26, 2022
0

develoPPP Ventures is looking for Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania-based startups to apply for a grant of up to 100,000 euros...

Nigerian crypto exchange Yellow Card launches in Ivory Coast.
Startups

Nigerian crypto exchange Yellow Card launches in Ivory Coast.

by Weddy Thuranira
May 26, 2022
0

Nigerian cryptocurrency exchange Yellow Card has added Ivory Coast to its list of 16 countries where it operates as it continues to expand across Africa, Since its debut in Nigeria in 2018, Yellow Card has made it their mission to bring financial freedom to all by making it simple for anybody, wherever in Africa, to buy cryptocurrency at the best rates using cash, mobile money, cards, and bank transfers. Ivory Coast's Yellow Card country manager, Sylvio Contayon, is optimistic about the journey ahead, claiming that the country is an untapped market with an increasing number of crypto enthusiasts. Yellow Card, which was founded in 2018 and launched in Nigeria in 2019, allows anyone in Africa...

Solar Sister & LivelyHoods Kenya merge to bring clean energy to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa
Solar

Solar Sister & LivelyHoods Kenya merge to bring clean energy to millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa

by James Musoba
May 26, 2022
0

Solar Sister, Inc. and LivelyHoods Kenya have merged in a move expected to bring economic opportunity and clean energy to...

Esaal, Egypt’s online health and wellness platform raises $1.7M to expand across the MENA region

Esaal, Egypt’s online health and wellness platform raises $1.7M to expand across the MENA region

May 26, 2022
GSMA improves Women’s Digital Safety with Mobile Tokenisation 

GSMA improves Women’s Digital Safety with Mobile Tokenisation 

May 26, 2022
Equity bank rolls out chatbot on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.

Equity bank rolls out chatbot on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.

May 25, 2022
Please login to join discussion
  • Advertise
  • Jobs
  • Freelance Gigs
  • Motoring
  • Money

© 2022 TechMoran Ltd, All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Startups
    • About US
  • Reviews
  • Business
  • Motoring
  • Blockchain
    • Crypto News
  • Insider
    • Obituaries
  • Women
  • Hacks & Facts
    • How To
  • Editions
    • US Edition
    • India Edition
    • MENA Edition
    • Asia Edition
    • Europe Edition
    • International Edition
  • Columnists

© 2022 TechMoran Ltd, All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Go to mobile version
%d bloggers like this: