Nigerian company inaugurates nationwide genomics consortium

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has inaugurated a Nationwide Genomics Surveillance Consortium (NGSC) to boost the nation’s public well being infrastructure and strengthen well being safety.

In line with the NCDC Director-Basic, Jide Idris, the consortium will place Nigeria as a genomic sequencing hub within the international south.

Talking on the inauguration of the consortium and stakeholders’ engagement assembly for genomic technique growth on Thursday in Abuja, Mr Idris emphasised the significance of genomic sequencing in addressing public well being challenges.

“Genomic sequencing enhances our means to reply to well being threats by offering detailed insights into the genetic underpinnings of ailments, enabling extra exact and efficient public well being interventions,” he stated.

Genomic sequencing is a laboratory approach that helps scientists uncover the whole genetic blueprint of an organism or cell kind.

Lately, Nigeria has launched into genomic sequencing actions, prioritising public well being and illness surveillance. It additionally covers a variety of actions slicing throughout numerous fields, from well being to agriculture and biotechnological growth.

Want for genomics consortium

Mr Idris additional famous that the implementation of genomic sequencing grew to become obtrusive in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Efficient administration of information is now recognised as a matter of nationwide safety with profound financial and diplomatic implications,” he stated

The DG highlighted the important thing causes for establishing a consortium, noting that it’ll function a coordination and oversight physique chargeable for the implementation and monitoring of the NCDC’s genomic surveillance technique.

He famous that the consortium will facilitate collaboration amongst numerous researchers and establishments to allow the sharing of information, instruments, and experience.

He added that it will likely be in command of “pooling information from a number of sources to conduct extra complete and statistically strong research, figuring out significant genetic patterns and associations.”

NGSC construction

Talking on the consortium, Olusola Akanbi, an infectious illness skilled, famous that the NGSC’s construction is chaired by the DG and co-chaired by the academia, whose function contains setting the strategic imaginative and prescient and objectives, offering management, nationwide in a single day and supervision of assets mobilisation.

Ms Akanbi additional said that the construction is characterised into six pillars, which embody coordinating and assets mobilisation, information administration and bioinformatics, high quality assurance, emergency preparedness and response, analysis growth and innovation and the procurement and provide chain administration pillar.

In his remarks, Sunday Omilabu, a virologist, recounted the strides made by the federal government to handle the general public well being challenges encountered within the nation.

Mr Omilabu famous that a number of the amenities put in place embody the Nationwide Reference Laboratory (NRL) and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Analysis (NIMR).

As a part of its effort to realize these, thus the creation of the Nigeria Centre for Illness and Management (NCDC) in 2011, which has performed an essential function in coordinating actions for infectious ailments surveillance.

In 2017, the federal authorities launched the Nigerian Genome mission geared toward sequencing the genomes of Nigerians to grasp the genetic foundation of ailments higher and develop personalised medical approaches.

It collaborated with worldwide companions, such because the World Well being Organisation (WHO), the Centres for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), and the Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis, to assist these actions.

Hole, the best way ahead

Additionally highlighting the challenges mitigating genomic sequencing actions, the NCDC DG noticed that Nigeria has restricted coordination for info, and the rules governing the sharing of genomic surveillance information exterior Nigeria have been insufficient.

“This hole has resulted in important losses of information and alternative for nationwide advantages,” he stated.

In line with Mr Omilabi, the challenges embody lack of sequencing reagents and consumables, chain provide of consumables, pattern logistics and transportation challenges, and poor remuneration for genomic specialists.

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He steered the event of a nationwide technique, increasing the sequencing community and scaling up sequencing utilizing high-throughput platforms.

“Construct capability for human complete genome sequencing to grasp the host-pathogen interplay, analysis, vaccine growth, and personalised medication,” he stated.