How Syndicate Bio is working to build Africa’s genomic data.

How Syndicate Bio is working to build Africa’s genomic data.

...Connecting Africa airs on CNN                  International on Tuesday 4th                    February 2025 at 2245 WAT

Genomics, studying our genetic makeup, our DNA, to find new ways of treating diseases is becoming increasingly popular in the healthcare sector. Africa remains underrepresented when it comes to genomic research worldwide. Connecting Africa explores how Nigerian company, Syndicate Bio, are working towards finding new drug therapies tailored to the continent’s population.

Estelle Dogbo, the Chief Operating Officer & Co-Founder of Syndicate Bio explains the history of the company, “Syndicate bio was founded in 2023 out of the realisation that global research does not include data from the more diverse population on earth.”

In conjunction with The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Syndicate Bio has set out to study the DNA of the African population. Dr. Usman Malami Aliyu, the Director General of NICRAT, explains that their aim is “To improve on the current preventative diagnostic and the treatment capabilities in terms of cancer care in the country that we are currently partnering with the syndicate bio.”

Together they’ve launched the Cancer Genome Nigeria project carrying out genetic sequencing on 100 patients with plans to expand to 10,000 patients within five years. Malami Aliyu says that once these targeted therapies are finalised, “The whole world is going to benefit because it's going to reduce the gap, the clear gap that we have in terms of diagnosis, prevention and treatment.”

Abasi Ene-Obong, co-founder and CEO of Syndicate Bio speaks with CNN’s Eleni Giokos about how the company is changing the pharmaceutical and medical space on the continent. He says, “Most people have the picture that healthcare is your static hospitals, pharmacy chains and diagnostic labs, and that has been the traditional healthcare delivery system. But in today's world where data informs everything we do, healthcare is really how information passes across all of those infrastructures and how does that improve and deliver care to the individual.”

He finishes on how he sees the next ten years playing out in the pharmaceutical industry, “We need to have a concerted effort, not a sporadic effort. There's going to be ups and downs, successes and failures, but through that process we are going to build an industry that we'll all be proud of. We need to begin to fund research and development. We need to have more companies in the research and development space.”

https://edition.cnn.com/business/markets/connecting-africa 

This interview was featured in a recent episode of Connecting Africa on CNN International. 

Connecting Africa airs on CNN International at the following times:

Tuesday 4th February 2025 at 2245 WAT

Saturday 8th February 2025 at 0730 WAT

Sunday 9th February 2025 at 0330 WAT and 1930 WAT

Monday 10th February 2025 at 0100 WAT