Non-Communicable Diseases – Genetic Heritage Study (NCD-GHS) Consortium
There is an imminent need to study and understand the mysteries of the African genome now more than ever. With the growing infusion of precision medicine into the healthcare system, the lack of genetic databases for African populations and people of African ancestry has revealed a large divide that persists between the African demographic and efficacious medical treatment and diagnostics.
In a one of a kind initiative, 54gene, with collaborators from the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and the Center for Genomic Research & Innovation at the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA-CGRI), have formed the Non Communicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study (NCD-GHS) Consortium. This is a Public-Private partnership that seeks to harness the genomic potential of the ethnolinguistic diversity of Nigerians towards better understanding of the determinants of NCDs and development of new solutions to improve their management for the benefit of Africans and other global populations.
With its launch, the consortium would provide leadership and facilitate the completion of the Genetic Profiling for Non-Communicable Diseases Study (also called the 54Gene Heritage Study or 54GHS in short), which was started by 54gene and is ongoing, as well as the implementation of the Nigeria Cardiometabolic Diseases Genetic (NiCGen) Study. It is expectedthat with these two studies combined, genomic data from at least 100,000 Nigerians would be unlocked for knowledge creation and development of insights that would facilitate precision medicine and translational research that would impact people’s health significantly.
The work of the Consortium is being funded by the African Center for Translational Genetics (ACTG) with support from 54gene. The African Center for Translational Genetics (ACTG) is a not-for-profit entity with funding from 54gene Inc as part of its vision to democratize precision medicine. The objectives of the centre are to empower the next generation of African genomic scientists through the provision and implementation of grants, fellowships, and internships; enable better health outcomes by powering the discovery of disease variants which will significantly improve responses to drugs especially among African populations, and enhance therapy on the African continent by enabling individualized and precise care that utilises patient unique genetic identity to develop new targets for medicines.
