Genomics in Africa

Africans have the most diverse genomes of all human populations. However, only limited genomic studies from Africans are currently available to inform the development of disease prevention strategies, early detection tools and treatment options. This trajectory is now changing following several initiatives in Africa including the H3Africa.

To date, there are many books on genomic studies globally but only a few are representative of the work that is being carried out in Africa and led by African researchers. This book provides insights on African genomic research into infectious diseases, cardiometabolic traits, cancer, mental health, pharmacogenomics, Metagenomic and reflects the broad experiences of researchers across Africa in ethics, biobanking, capacity building for genomic studies.

Key features:

1) Covers the development of disease prevention strategies, early detection tools, and treatment options.

2) Offers an overview of the funding landscape and capacity-building efforts in Africa.

3) Provides a ten-year roadmap for research leaders, funders, and governments who are keen to plan for genomics work in Africa .

4) Reviews the translation of genomic studies from lab to real-world applications.

5) Discusses non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and mental illness.

Segun Fatumo is the Chair of Genomic Diversity at Queen Mary University of London and the head of NCD Genomics at the MRC Uganda – the Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit. He specialises in NCD Genomics and Omics of African Populations. He co-led the first Genomics of cardiometabolic traits in Africa and led the first Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) of Kidney functions in continental African populations. He is the director of the KidneyGenAfrica Research Partnership Programme - A Partnership to Deliver Research and Training Excellence in Genomics of Kidney Disease in Africa. He leads the Uganda Genome Resource and co-leads the Nigerian Non-Communicable Diseases - Genetic Heritage Study (NCD-GHS) Consortium - A concerted effort to see over 100,000 Nigerians participate in the eponymous study, which will seek to understand the genetic basis of the highly prevalent non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria such as chronic kidney, diabetes, obesity among others. Professor Segun Fatumo is a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (FAAS) – A recognition of individuals who have reached the highest level of excellence in their field of expertise and have made significant contributions to the advancement of science and innovation on the African continent. This recognition highlights Prof Fatumo’s trailblazing work in human genomics as well as his leadership role in African genomics, training and capacity building. Professor Segun Fatumo is strongly committed to increasing diversity in genomic studies and was awarded the prestigious MRC Impact prize for advocating for the inclusion of Africa in genomic research and championing genetic risk prediction of complex diseases in Africa populations. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is actively involved in capacity building and training across Africa. Professor Segun Fatumo has been featured in notable media outlets including BBC, The Telegraph, Wired, Science Magazine, Forbes, etc. He gives regular invited and keynote talks at major conferences around the globe and serves as an associate editor and reviewers for high impact journals including Nature, Science and Cell. Segun Fatumo received postdoctoral training in genetic epidemiology at the University of Cambridge and Wellcome Sanger Institute and a postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics at the University of Georgia, Athens, USA. Prior to that, He had postgraduate training in Bioinformatics at the University of Cologne, Germany and Ph.D. in Computer Science (Bioinformatics specialization) from Covenant University in Nigeria.

Tinashe Chikowore is an Investigator in the Channing Division of Network Medicine and the Genetics Division at Brigham Woman’s Hospital and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on the application of genetics, Omics, and machine learning to nutrition-based and complex disease research. He is a recipient of a prestigious Wellcome Trust International Training fellowship that focuses on characterizing gene-lifestyle interactions in African populations. Recently, he received the Charles Epstein Excellence in Human Genetics. Through independently initiated collaborative work, has made substantial intellectual contributions to the development of polygenic risk for type 2 diabetes in Africa and the transferability of genetic risk scores across the regions of Africa. This work has been published in high-impact journals such as Diabetes Care and Nature Medicine. He mentors underrepresented postdoctoral research fellows and Ph.D. students in genomics through weekly journal clubs and one-on-one meetings. He also participates in teaching international courses led by the Wellcome Trust Connecting Science initiative in Asia and Africa. His work leverages the genomic and environmental data collected in the Human Hereditary and Health Consortium, funded by the National Institute of Health and the Wellcome Trust. He was recently awarded an Emerging Leader travel award to recognize how I have grown in this consortium and the impact of my current work and mentoring initiatives. He is is currently, the chairperson of the H3Africa CVD Working Group, which is the largest resource in Africa with both genetic and environmental factors.