MRC Unit The Gambia and Oxford Nanopore celebrate new Genomics Centre launch

The Medical Research Council Unit in The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Oxford Nanopore are today celebrating the launch of their next generation nanopore Genomic Centre of Excellence

Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the global company behind a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology and MRC Unit The Gambia (MRCG) at LSHTM have further consolidated their ongoing partnership, with the launch of a Genomic Centre of Excellence in The Gambia and the sub region.

The MRCG Nanopore Genomics Centre will support translational research starting with public health issues such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and communicable diseases, including zoonoses. Beyond infectious diseases, one of the first projects will include a BRCA1/2 screening pilot to understand inherited breast and ovarian cancer risk in West African women. This follows the completion of a similar project in Bermuda, where Oxford Nanopore technology was used to uncover genetic variants specific to women of African-Caribbean descent.

Alongside the main centre in The Gambia, the partnership will also help to establish a satellite genomics site in Guinea Bissau through equipment support and training.

Dr Abdul Karim Sesay, Head of Genomics Strategic Core Platform, MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM, said: “After a decade long collaboration with Oxford Nanopore, I am excited has led to the creation of a genomics hub in West Africa. The platform has already proven vital in our responses to the COVID19 pandemic, Ebola and Zika, and will now help embed health systems and response. This Centre will support not only our scientists but also have a far-reaching impact across public health institutions in the region.”

During the COVID19 pandemic Oxford Nanopore and MRC Unit The Gambia collaborated to build excellent genomics sequencing capacity in eight laboratories across six west African countries. The two organisations also recently collaborated to sequence more than 200 human whole genomes and epigenomes, becoming the first on the continent to achieve such a milestone. The 200 genomes, drawn from the HERO-G (Hormonal and Epigenetic Regulators of Growth) cohort, are expected to help further the understanding of how a mother’s diet at the time of conception resets her offspring’s methylome in the very first few days after conception and impacts their lifelong health.

Richard Compton, SVP, Sales and Commercial Operations, said: “We are proud to continue our work with the MRC unit The Gambia at LSHTM, and support the advancement of genomics in West Africa. This collaboration cements our commitment to education and skills development in the region, and we hope today’s launch will be an important step forward in helping to advance national public health initiatives.”

Martin Norman, Deputy British High Commissioner to The Gambia, said: “The United Kingdom is proud of its enduring partnership with The Gambia in health research and scientific advancement. British institutions are globally recognised for their expertise in life sciences, and we are pleased to see this expertise shared and strengthened through this exciting partnership between LSTHM’s Medical Research Council, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and the Government of The Gambia. The Genomic Centre of Excellence is not only an investment in science, but in our shared future.”

Oxford Nanopore has supported the MRC Unit The Gambia to establish the technology, onboard infectious disease assays and create training programmes which will accelerate distributed sequencing with collaborating sites in West Africa.