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| African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease | |
|---|---|
| Name | African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease |
| Established | 2015 |
| Location | Abeokuta, Nigeria |
| Director | Christian Happi |
| Affiliation | Redeemer's University |
| Focus | Genomics, Infectious disease |
African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease is a research institution based in Abeokuta, Nigeria that specializes in genomic surveillance and pathogen genomics. The centre works at the intersection of public health crises such as the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic, and outbreaks of Lassa fever while engaging with organizations like World Health Organization, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The centre was founded in 2015 amid global responses to the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, the Sierra Leone Ebola outbreak (2014–2016), and growing regional needs highlighted by institutions including World Health Organization, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Key figures involved in establishment include Christian Happi, collaborators from Redeemer's University, and partners from University of Oxford, Broad Institute, and Imperial College London. Early work drew on technologies from Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and methodologies promoted by Global Health Security Agenda and GISAID.
The centre's mission aligns with priorities set by United Nations, African Union, and Wellcome Trust to strengthen genomic surveillance for pathogens such as Ebola virus, Lassa virus, SARS-CoV-2, and Yellow fever virus. Objectives include capacity building with partners like London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, research translation in partnership with US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and policy engagement with Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Ministry of Health (Nigeria).
Research programs cover genomic epidemiology, pathogen evolution, and antimicrobial resistance, connecting projects and consortia such as COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, African Genome Variation Project, and PANDORA-ID-NET. Studies frequently involve comparative analyses using resources like GenBank, GISAID, and software from Nextstrain. Programs investigate outbreaks linked to Ebola virus disease, Lassa fever, Marburg virus disease, and novel zoonoses involving hosts studied by teams connected to International Livestock Research Institute and World Organisation for Animal Health.
Training initiatives include graduate programs and workshops modeled after curricula from Harvard University, University of Cambridge, and Johns Hopkins University, and executed with partners such as Wellcome Sanger Institute and African Academy of Sciences. Trainees receive instruction in sequencing platforms from Illumina, Pacific Biosciences, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, bioinformatics using tools associated with European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI, and best practices from WHO Regional Office for Africa. The centre hosts exchanges with institutions such as Makerere University, University of Cape Town, and University of Ibadan.
Facilities include sequencing laboratories equipped with instruments from Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and Pacific Biosciences, containment suites compatible with guidelines from World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States), and high-performance computing linked to nodes like H3ABioNet. The centre's logistics and sample transport systems coordinate with Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and regional networks such as African Union Development Agency.
The centre maintains collaborations with international partners including Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, National Institutes of Health, European Commission, and consortia like PANDORA-ID-NET and H3Africa. Regional partnerships include Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, African Union entities, and universities such as Redeemer's University, Obafemi Awolowo University, and University of Lagos. Operational links extend to World Health Organization, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and private-sector partners like Thermo Fisher Scientific.
The centre contributed genomic data and analysis during the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, provided early SARS-CoV-2 sequencing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, and advanced molecular surveillance for Lassa fever outbreaks, informing responses by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Publications and data have been shared on platforms associated with GISAID, GenBank, and collaborations with Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of Oxford, influencing policy instruments used by Ministry of Health (Nigeria) and regional public health agencies. The centre's graduates and alumni have taken roles at institutions such as World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States), African Union, University of Ibadan, and Makerere University, strengthening continental capacity for pathogen genomics.
Category:Research institutes in Nigeria Category:Genomics institutions Category:Public health organizations in Africa