Genomic medicine in Africa: promise, problems and prospects.

Abstract

The promise Remarkable progress has been made in using genomic information to determine how genes are regulated, and how they interact with each other and with the environment to control complex biochemical functions of living organisms in health and disease [1]. This information will have major benefits for the prevention, diagnosis and management of many diseases, including communicable and genetic diseases. In Africa, where infectious diseases are highly prevalent, research on pathogen genomes has enhanced our understanding of disease transmission, virulence mechanisms and avoidance of host defenses [2]. It is anticipated that this information will enable the development of new diagnostic tests, vaccines and therapeutic agents; it is also likely to lead to new approaches for vector control, and reveal why individuals and populations vary in their susceptibility to infectious diseases [1]. This commentary focuses on problems and prospects for the use of new genomic knowledge in improving the health of Africans. The prospects for genomic medicine in Africa have been enhanced by major initiatives that are led by international funding agencies and academics, such as the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (MalariaGEN) (www.malariagen.net/) and the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program (h3africa.org/h3africa_whitepaper.pdf ). These multi-national consortia have started to build the capacity in research skills and overcome the barriers for the use of genomics to address the disease burden of Africans. The time has come for African governments to heed the call of the World Health Organization to embrace genomics for the benefit of their populations.