To fortify Africa’s resilience against future pandemics, the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) teamed up with Illumina, a global leader in sequencing technology, and signed an agreement to expand the use of genomics in Africa to prepare for future pandemics and safeguard the health of Africans.
The initiative is expected to boost local training in genomics and increase access to sequencing technology through a specialised genomics curriculum provided via ASLM’s training platform, the ASLM Academy.
“Creating opportunities for genomics training within Africa is vital for building local capacities. Genomic sequencing is crucial for identifying and managing pathogens, and through this collaboration with Illumina, we aim to empower a skilled workforce that can conduct genomic sequencing domestically,” said Nqobile Ndlovu, CEO of ASLM at the sixth Biennial ASLM2023 conference in Cape Town, South Africa yesterday.
Ndlovu stated that ASLM is the first and only Pan-African organisation committed to leading, advocating for, and coordinating a continent-wide response to improve the quality of laboratory medicine and healthcare diagnostics.
“With a focus on strengthening laboratory systems and workforce, ASLM provides technical assistance, training, and advocacy for laboratory professionals across the continent,” stated the executive.
The opening was officiated by the Deputy Director General of the South Africa National Department of Health, Dr Anban Pillay, who praised the event as an occasion that transcends the ordinary by bringing together minds dedicated to the transformation of healthcare in Africa through the lens of laboratory science.
Pillay said the 2008 Maputo Declaration on Strengthening of Laboratory Systems committed African countries to elevate the laboratory systems while the Ministerial Call for Action at the ASLM 2012 conference outlined the key areas of action.
ASLM believes this collaborative initiative aims to harness the power of genomics to enhance disease surveillance, outbreak response, and public health interventions across the continent. Senior Director of Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (AMEA) Illumina, Tom Berkovits stated that genomic sequencing significantly contributes to detecting and responding to infectious disease outbreaks. “The Global Health Access Programme, with ASLM’s valuable participation, addresses challenges such as delayed response times and increased costs associated with shipping samples offshore,” stated Berkovits.
Illumina’s recently launched Global Health Access Programme will play a pivotal role in this initiative by offering reduced pricing for eligible sequencing products. This programme, developed with guidance from customers, funders, and market facilitators, will provide reduced pricing structures for eligible sequencing products from Illumina to qualified global health funding entities and address key international logistics and supply chain challenges. Its mandate is to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome. The products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments.
-psiririka@nepc.com.na