Africa deposited <2% of SARS-CoV-2 sequences in the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) while most African countries generated few SARS-CoV-2 sequences (< 500) while South Africa deposited close to 40 % of all data generated in Africa.Credit: Teibo J.O. et al.
Diseases impact our lives today in many ways, present populations with social, economic, and financial burdens. The resounding effects of these burdens have galvanized global efforts to tackle disease, albeit in an uneven manner. Africa has been left out, with most of the decisions/actions on vaccine and drug production being made in the United States, Europe and Asia (S. Dalal et al. International Journal of Epidemiology 40, 885-901; 2011).
But why does this matter, if current remedies for such diseases are effective for almost every population around the world? The global population as of 2020 is estimated to be around 7.76 billion2. 17% (1.3 billion) of the global population live in Africa, second only to Asia (61). Africa is also projected to have the highest population growth globally, with the population doubling between now and 20502 (United Nations, 2020 https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/population). Research3 (S. A. Tishkoff et al. Science 324, 1035-1044; 2009) indicates that Africans have the most diverse population genetics yet only a small proportion of African genomic data is available to inform global disease prevention efforts (A. Wonkam Nature 590, 209–211; 2021)4.
Genetic testing, prognosis and diagnostics, molecular imaging, polygenic risk score (PRS), big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning) in medicine are bringing precision/personalized medicine closer. Genetic-based tests are common for non-invasive prenatal screening, diagnosis of cystic fibrosis and genomic tests for infectious diseases. The PRS which leverages the power of genomics is useful in the prediction of a person’s susceptibility to cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases among others. This means that genomic data has become much more important for most disease prevention strategies. Lack of sufficient genomic data for a strong predictive power is a major drawback to applying the PRS in African population. African genomics should be prioritized for equity of medical research in global efforts to tackle disease burdens. Without this, there are grave implications for global health.
The next evolution of genomic data is encoded in Africa, waiting to be mined and utilized to unravel hidden traits for alleviating diseases that continue to plague global health. A template for this has been recently reported (S. Fatumo et al. Nature 54 531-536; 20225). This project aimed at ensuring equity in genomic data used in precision medicine will examine 100,000 Nigerian adults’ risk for non-communicable diseases (cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, etc.). Another major development is the $ 46 million NIH Grant for Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic Study which will involve the genetic study of 5,000 Africans and 4,000 African Americans, among others.
African researchers do not lack the required knowledge for this genomic revolution but rather the infrastructure, favorable policies, collaborative effort, and funding. A lack of adequate funding is a major limitation for genomics researchers in the continent. More commitment in terms of funding and research grants from the government, private and corporate firms, and individuals in Africa will assist more researchers to contribute their quota, ensuring equitable genomic data.
We can take a cue from our COVID-19 experience on how a disease can originate from a local community and have a significant global impact. Equitable representation of all human populations in genomic studies will give more insight into disease burdens, benefiting all populations worldwide. Bridging the genomic gap in Africa through a multidisciplinary approach would improve research capacity through adequate funding and collaborations with stakeholders in the field of genomics and translational medicine.
