Consortium set to launch genomics tool to study disease in Africa

IIllumina, a global leader in genomics – an industry at the intersection of biology and technology – and Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Initiative are developing a new genomics array tool specifically for genomic and epidemiological research in Africa. The tool, which could enable researchers to efficiently study the genetic diversity of African populations is expected to be available later in 2017.

Julie Collens, head of market development at Illumina, told SciDev.Net that due to the differences among global populations in rates of infectious disease risk, the ability to link genetic findings in African populations to specific diseases is crucial in understanding how genetics and the environment contribute to diseases.

The genotyping tool will be the first ever made for the African populations, which is noted to have the highest amount of genetic variations. It will facilitate the process of conducting genome-wide association studies in multiple populations for different traits and diseases.