Eleven young enterprising Africans, among them two Nigerians, who have been named Young Global Leaders (YGL) by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for 2021, are to benefit from the Aliko Dangote Fellowship endowed to support African Young Global Leaders.
The beneficiaries are among 112 persons under 40 years of age, selected as Young Global Leaders by WEF, from across 56 countries.
The two Nigerians, Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, founder, 54gene and Obi Ozor, the founder of Kobo360, joined the ranks of past Nigerian winners, Ambassador Debo Adesina, former Editor-in Chief of the Guardian Newspapers and current Nigerian Ambassador to Togo, and Mr. Simon Kolawole, CEO of Cable Newspapers Ltd.
New Genome Sequencing Lab Unveiled in Lagos, Nigeria
Source: 54gene
54gene unveiled its new lab in Lagos State, Nigeria
January 26, 2021
54gene, a U.S.- and Nigeria-based health technology company whose mission is to advance precision medicine capabilities in Africa through research, advanced molecular diagnostics, and clinical programs, has unveiled its new genomics facility in Lagos, Nigeria.
54gene is named after the 54 countries in Africa, and was started in 2019 by founder and CEO, Abasi Ene-Obong, PhD. The company had announced its collaboration with Illumina to create the genomics facility in September 2020. With a new year, the facility is now up and running and looking to improve healthcare and bridge the gap in 2021 and beyond.
December 14, 2020
This month scientists successfully used gene editing for treating sickle cell disease, a hereditary disease common among people of African ancestry. This was done by identifying and cutting out a gene that instructs the production of the defective sickle-shaped cells in people with the disease.
It would not have been possible without the sequencing of the entire human genome that makes up human DNA, particularly that of people of Black African ancestry.
This approach is called precision medicine and involves the use of genetic information of a person or group for the development of disease diagnosis or treatment for that person or group. It is producing remarkable health outcomes in other regions, but Africa is lagging.
2020 in health: What we learned at Web Summit
Health was always going to be a central theme of Web Summit 2020, and the first two days of the event featured some fascinating discussions on the health sector. Covid-19 continues to dominate every news channel, and we were lucky to hear from some of the leading experts on global recovery. But we also welcomed voices from other crucial areas of health, including mental health, inclusivity within medical research, and employee wellbeing.
“We understand the immune response better, and what we’re learning is generally good news”: Covid-19: Is there optimism in the outlook?