BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
UKZN’s College of Health Sciences is excited to announce the launch of the Discover Me South Africa study. This innovative study aims to enrol up to 100 000 individuals from the local population of Durban.
The College is collaborating with Omnigen Biodata, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, Regeneron Genetics Center, AstraZeneca, Roche, including Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, GSK, Pfizer and Alnylam and the study is sponsored by Omnigen Biodata, a research and development company based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Discover Me South Africa aims to analyse the health and genetic information of thousands of IALCH patients who enrol in the study. Combining electronic health records and genomic data at scale offers unique opportunities to better understand and predict the risk of disease and patients’ response to treatment. These findings have the potential to transform patient care by improving the accuracy of diagnoses, including earlier detection of disease, and enabling the development of more targeted, personalised treatment. Personalised medicine can improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of adverse drug reactions, decreasing the cost of health services and reducing wastage.
Importantly, study participants will receive access to their health information via a secure online participant portal to empower them in their healthcare.
Over the next two years, the study aims to significantly expand the scale of genomic data and analysis to provide a large-scale resource base that will support discovery science in South Africa. By connecting genetic information to other health information, Discover Me South Africa has the potential to transform understanding of why certain diseases affect some people more than others, and why diseases progress differently in different people.
The research could also help to improve existing treatments and discover new ones.
Emeritus Professor at UKZN and co-Chief Investigator of Discover Me South Africa, Professor Ayesha Motala commented, ‘This innovative study aims to advance scientific development and discovery within the region, building on longstanding collaborations. We are excited to be at the forefront of influencing the future of patient health and care on a local and international scale.’
According to Manjinder Sandhu, founder of Omnigen Biodata Ltd, and co-Chief Investigator of the study, ‘This collaboration presents a unique opportunity for discovery science in Africa; continuing efforts to expand genomic data resources and support scientific communities across the region. Importantly, this initiative has the potential to enable innovation in drug development and health and care solutions, influencing the future of patient health and care for generations to come.’
The College extended congratulations to Motala and her team in the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology on the launch of the study which will advance scientific development and discovery that seeks to benefit all populations.
Image and source: UKZN
