CoRE - Genomics for Health in Africa

Abstract

Genomics is a powerful tool that can be used to better understand diseases and develop more effective treatments. With the advent of new technologies and techniques, genomics is increasingly used to study rare diseases, infectious diseases, and familial cancers, among other health challenges. The genomic data is also valuable for furthering our understanding of causal links between protein mutations and function, which is critical for understanding human health and disease, developing new efficacious therapies and responding to drug resistance, vaccine failure or immune evasion. However, the potential of genomics for healthcare in Africa has not been fully realised due to a lack of infrastructure and resources, and difficulties retaining scientific capacity.

The Cluster of Research Excellence - Genomics for Health in Africa (CoRE-GHA) is an initiative that leverages the potential of genomics to revolutionise healthcare in Africa. This ARUA-The Guild project  is led by researchers in Africa, Professors Shahida Moosa and Tulio de Oliveira from Stellenbosch University, alongside co-leads from Europe, Professors Carmen Faso and Volker Thiel from the University of Bern and Professor Olaf Riess and Dr Tobias Haack from the University of Tubingen.

The CoRE-GHA develops sustainable, world-class research capacity across Africa in collaboration with European Universities by melding teaching, research and stakeholder engagement activities in a unique framework with a focus on integrated genomics of rare diseases and familial cancers, and pathogen-host genetic variation, issues of shared concern for European and African public health systems alike, with significant and unmet clinical burdens in both continents. CoRE-GHA also provides a unique and open platform to the African research community to exploit the full potential of genomics coupled with protein structure-function studies as a fundamental tool to revolutionise public healthcare for infectious and rare non-communicable diseases.

The CoRE-GHA commits to developing infrastructure, resources and scientific capacity in Africa to harness the potential of genomics to better understand rare diseases, cancer, and infections for more effective prevention strategies, precision medicine and personalised treatment approaches.