A Nigerian Centre Named as African Lab for Genome Research. A Nigerian Centre has been named the African Laboratory for Genome Reference Research. The World Health Organization and the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have named the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID) of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, as one of the African regional repository and bioinformatics centre.
The Laboratory Center will offer data analysis, sequencing, and other technical support services to the Sub-Saharan African Region and the wider African Regions.
The announcement was made on Thursday the 10th of September at a joint press conference organized by the WHO and the Africa CDC to announce the inauguration of a network of laboratories in Africa to strengthen the genome sequencing of the SAR-CoV-2 virus that is responsible for the Coronavirus epidemics in Africa.
The African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Disease, the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) of South Africa as well as the National Bioinformatics Institute of South Africa are the three African centres appointed by the WHO and the Africa CDC.
These repository centres will among other things, serve as the bio-informatics repositories for the genome sequencing of the COVID-19 virus, prepare and validate regional relevant test kits as well as provide quality assurances and laboratory accreditation supports, among others.
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WHO Upbeat
Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa asserts in a statement that “as we continue to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, being able to not only track its evolution but also assess the possible mutation of the virus is crucial to mounting an effective response,”
He further asserts that “through this new laboratory network dedicated to genome sequencing, we can better develop vaccines and treatment which are tailored to Africans and eventually bring COVID-19 under control.”
John Nkengasong, the Director of Africa CDC said among other things that “The establishment of the COVID-19 sequencing network will help improve surveillance in the continent and help countries to effectively manage and control the pandemic.”
“As the COVID-19 pandemic curve flattens in Africa, we must be prepared for a possible resurgence as already observed in some countries. With genomic sequencing, we can have a better understanding of the pandemic through more precise identification of transmission clusters.”h
ACEGID’S Optimism
The leadership of the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID) have been optimistic about their newly found leverage in contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The director of ACEGID, Christian Happi opined that the choice of the Scientific Centre as an African Reference Laboratory attests to the “recognition of what ACEGID has done for the continent and the entire world, at large,”
He further emphasized that ACEGID has become “a globally competitive and recognized entity when it comes to infectious disease research and genomics.”
According to Mr Happi, the ACEGID “now have the mandate to support the 54 countries in Africa in their quest for infectious disease research capacity development and training.”
“The reality is that it is more work for us because now we have an African and a global mandate: it means we have to operate at a different level, set standards, and be a role model for every other laboratory on the continent.”
He further remarked that “this would come with a lot of added pressures and responsibilities.”
When questioned whether ACEGID is capable of measuring up to the huge tasks placed on the laboratory, Mr Christian Happi argued that “the WHO and the Africa CDC conducted an objective and extensive assessment of facilities and capacities across Africa before selecting a network of laboratories across Africa.”
The African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID)
The African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEDIG) is a World Bank Funded Collaborative Scientific Research Centre principally run by the Redeemer’s University in collaboration with regional and global partners such as the Harvard University and the Universite Cheik Anta-Diop, Dakar, Senegal, among others.
The Centre is located at Ede, Osun State of Nigeria. ACEGID has a mandate to build capacity in the field of genomics in young African Scientists and use identify and characterize pathogens of unknown origin using microbial metagenomics.
Ultimately, the aim of the African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEDIG) is to translate the research outcome to products that can be deployed to the field in order to contribute to the control, manage and eliminate infectious diseases in the continent.
The African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEDIG) has been significantly contributing to the fight against infectious diseases in Nigeria and was prominent in identifying and developing swift diagnostic tests approved by the USFDA and the WHO for Ebola in 2014.
Earlier this year, the laboratory sequenced within 48 hours, the sample of the SAR-CoV-2 that was made available to the laboratory after the discovery of the first patient of coronavirus in Lagos, Nigeria.
