Table 1.
Academic, commercial and non-profit organisations in Africa that have bioinformatics and genomics resources and expertise.a
| Institution | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| African Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics, University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technology of Bamako, Mali | Providing infrastructure and tools for training, mentorship and research in large-scale bioinformatics and genomics data analysis. | – |
| African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Nigeria | To apply genomics and bioinformatics approaches to help improve research into infectious disease pathogenesis, surveillance, clinical care and control. | http://acegid.org |
| African Centre for Gene Technologies, South Africa | To develop a network of scientists with expertise in biotechnology and omics technologies. | http://www.acgt.co.za |
| African Collaborative Centre for Microbiome and Genomics Research, Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria | To develop a collaborative team of expert scientists who will help to accelerate the search for disease biomarkers that would increase the timeliness and accuracy of cervical cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. | http://h3accme.com |
| West African Bioethics, Nigeria | The programme is aimed at providing training and research in bioethics (delivered in English and French) to scientists in West Africa. Moreover, West African Bioethics has introduced graduate programmes (MSc, MPhil and PhD) in bioethics in partnership with the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. | http://bioethicscenter.net/web/ |
| Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire (IPCI), Côte d'Ivoire | The IPCI has expertise in the use of molecular technologies for studying pathogens of public health importance — particularly in the areas of diagnosis, genotyping and genomics. | http://www.pasteur.ci |
| Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BECA), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya | BECA is a New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) initiative that supports the expansion of bioinformatics training and research efforts in East and Central Africa. | http://hub.africabiosciences.org; http://www.ilri.org/kenya |
| West African Bioinformatics Research Institute, Ilorin, Nigeria | This non-profit organisation is aimed at helping to promote bioinformatics teaching and research in West Africa, through the development of databases and software and the provision of training courses. | http://www.wabri.org |
| African Studies on Population and Health (ASOPAH), Nigeria | This non-profit organisation is an affiliate of the Environmental and Health of Communities of Africans international organisation. ASOPAH's research focus includes genetic factors in health and disease. | http://www.asopah.org |
| H3ABioNet nodes (these are centres of excellence in bioinformatics funded under the H3Africa scheme) | ||
| Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana | This is a research partnership between the Government of Botswana and Harvard University in the United States to improve research and training efforts aimed at controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana and elsewhere in southern Africa. | http://aids.harvard.edu/reserch/bhp/ |
| Egyptian Center of Bioinformatics and Genomics/Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt | The Centre focuses on providing bioinformatics and genomics research and education support to members of the Zagazig University community and beyond. | http://english.zu.edu.eg/Index.aspx;http://www.agri.zu.edu.eg (in Arabic) |
| Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine/Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana | This H3Africa node has expertise for research and training in bioinformatics and genomics, with a focus on infectious, non-communicable and neglected tropical diseases. | http://kccr-ghana.org; https://www.knust.edu.gh |
| Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Ghana | This node has expertise in molecular and computational research methods (including quantitative PCR, probe hybridisation techniques, and genome sequencing and data analysis). | http://www.noguchimedres.org |
| International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) , Kenya | Bioinformatics and genomics research at ICIPE is focused on infectious diseases, anthropods and plant-parasite interactions. | http://www.icipe.org |
| International Center of Excellence in Research, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako, USTTB, Mali | The Centre has expertise in, and resources for, research and education in malaria, neglected tropical diseases, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. | http://www.usttb.edu.ml |
| Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio), University of Mauritius, Mauritius | SANBio aims to train more scientists in southern Africa in bioinformatics skills through capacity-building courses and efforts to introduce bioinformatics modules into existing university curricula. | http://www.uom.ac.mu |
| Centre de Recherche Medicale et Sanitaire, Niamey (CERMES), Niger | CERMES aims to develop a centre of excellence in bioinformatics to provide support in research and training in public health and other areas in Mali. | http://www.cermes.net/cermes/ |
| Covenant University Bioinformatics Research (CUBRe), Nigeria | CUBRe aims to help advance bioinformatics in Nigeria through research and capacity-building activities targeted at supporting academic and corporate organisations to improve biomedical research and drug discovery and development. | http://cubre.covenantuniversity.edu.ng |
| National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Nigeria | NABDA seeks to develop national competence in the development and application of bioinformatics tools and techniques to provide biotechnology-driven solutions to biological problems in Nigeria. | http://www.nabda.gov.ng |
| Centre for Proteomic and Genomic Research, South Africa | The bioinformatics focus of this company lies in the application of omics technologies to solve biological questions, particularly in the areas of pharmacogenomics and personalised medicine. | http://www.cpgr.org.za |
| Computational Biology Group, Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa | This research group supports the expansion of bioinformatics activities at the University of Cape Town through the provision of research and training activities. | http://www.cbio.uct.ac.za |
| Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, South Africa | The RUBi node specialises in the use and development of bioinformatics tools and techniques for drug discovery and agriculture. | https://rubi.ru.ac.za |
| South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI)/Medical Research Council of South Africa Bioinformatics Unit, University of the Western Cape, South Africa | Aside from internal research and training activities, the SANBI node supports the H3ABioNet network in: (i) collecting and analysing data on capacity-building activities within the network; (ii) the development of a harmonised procedure for conducting genome sequencing data analysis; (iii) supporting network members in the collection and storage of clinical information on study participants; and (iv) the development and implementation of bioinformatics training activities. | http://www.sanbi.ac.za |
| University of Pretoria, South Africa | Bioinformatics and genomics expertise here focuses on immunogenomics, plant genomics, malaria and breast cancer. | http://www.up.ac.za |
| University of the Free State, South Africa | This group focuses on the application of molecular and bioinformatics approaches for genomics and proteomics studies. | http://www.ufs.ac.za |
| University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa | This node specialises in bioinformatics teaching, research and service provision in the areas of genome-wide association studies, population structure and computing. | http://www.bioinf.wits.ac.za |
| Centre for Bioinformatics, Future University of Sudan/University of Khartoum, Sudan | The Centre aims to coordinate the development of bioinformatics capacity-building and research efforts in Sudan. | http://www.futureu.edu.sd; http://www.uofk.edu |
| Management and Development for Health, Tanzania | This non-profit organisation focuses on helping to improve public health research and services in Tanzania. Major targets include common diseases such as malaria, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and child health. | http://mdh-tz.org |
| Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania | This node has major interests and expertise in sickle cell disease research and education. | http://www.muhas.ac.tz |
| University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | To build capacity in the use of crosscutting technologies in bioinformatics for scientific research. | https://www.udsm.ac.tz |
| Uganda Virus Research Institute, Uganda | Virology research and education, particularly disease aetiology, molecular mechanisms, prevention and control. | http://www.uvri.go.ug |
| Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Malawi | Research and education under this programme is focused on building the capacity of scientists and clinicians in Malawi to address high-burden diseases in the country. | http://www.mlw.medcol.mw |
| Centre Regional de Transfusion Sanguine de Rabat, Morocco | This H3ABioNet node supports research and training activities in the application of bioinformatics and genomics to improve hematology services in Morocco. | – |
| Ecole National des Sciences Appliquees, Abdekmalek Essaadi University, Tangier (ENSA), Morocco | Bioinformatics and genomics expertise at ENSA includes molecular genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and computational database design and data analysis. | http://www.ensat.ac.ma/Portail/ |
| Faculte de Medecine et de Pharmacie de Rabat, Universite Mohammed V Souissi (FMPR), Morocco | The FMPR node combines expertise in genomics, biotechnology and epidemiology. There are plans to establish graduate programmes in biotechnology in the near future. | http://www.medramo.ac.ma |
| Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V of Rabat, Morocco | The focus here is on genomics, immunogenetics, and immunoinformatics. | http://www.um5a.ac.ma/index.php/en/ |
| Institut National d'Hygiène, Morocco | Research at this Institute is aimed at deciphering the molecular basis of tropical diseases and also to improve food safety and hygiene practices. | – |
| Institut National de Recherche Agronomique, Morocco | To use bioinformatics and genomics approaches in improving agricultural practices and food security. | http://www.inra.org.ma/ |
| Institute Pasteur du Maroc, Morocco | The aim of this Institute is to conduct research and provide training in public health, particularly in environmental health and food safety. | http://www.pasteur.ma |
| Institute Pasteur of Tunis, Tunisia | This national public health institute is mandated to conduct research and training that are geared towards safeguarding human and animal health. | http://www.pasteur.tn |
| University Mohammed First (UMP) | To conduct training and research in bioinformatics and related areas. | http://www.ump.ma/?lang=en |
a
This list is indicative and may not provide a full account of all bioinformatics and genomics centres in Africa. Further details about some of the centres listed here have been previously provided (Bishop et al., 2015, Fatumo et al., 2014, Folarin et al., 2014, H3Africa Consortium et al., 2014, Karikari, 2015a). Concerning H3ABioNet nodes, only those that are based at African institutions have been profiled. Websites accessed 15th July, 2015.