- Syndicate Bio has partnered with SOPHiA GENETICS, a cloud-native software company, to increase access to comprehensive genomic profiling and liquid biopsy in Africa, promoting global health equity.
- This comes as the World Health Organisation confirmed in February 2023 that 1.1 million new cancer cases occur each year in Africa, with approximately 700,000 deaths. Data estimates also indicate that cancer mortality will rise significantly to nearly one million deaths per year by 2030 unless urgent and bold interventions are implemented.
- Syndicate Bio”s implementation will provide cutting-edge liquid biopsy testing to many patients, who are currently unable to test or must travel outside of the continent.
According to Abasi Ene-Obong, Founder, Syndicate Bio. “Through this collaboration, we aim to enable the widespread application of precision medicine in oncology across Africa, and thus contributing to the improvement of patient outcomes across the African continent.
We believe our scientific expertise, combined with AI-enabled technologies and data-driven solutions enabled by SOPHiA GENETICS, presents a unique opportunity to fundamentally transform the journey of cancer patients through non-invasive cancer analysis, predictive genetic testing, and effective precision medicine.”
Furthermore, the Chief Medical Officer of SOPHiA GENETICS acknowledged that by implementing this solution, Syndicate Bio will impact Africa while also contributing to creating a comprehensive dataset that will provide invaluable insights and shape the future of global healthcare.
Syndicate Bio, founded in September 2023 by former co-founder and CEO of 54gene, a now-defunct African genomics startup, as well as co-founders Jumi Popoola and Estelle Dogbo, aims to drive genomics and precision medicine initiatives globally, beginning in Africa.
In October 2023, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] with Nigeria’s governmental research institution, the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research [NIMR], in an attempt to lay the groundwork for transformative genomic studies in infectious and non-infectious diseases, to deepen understanding of Nigeria’s diseases, and identify drug discovery targets.
Through the partnership, NIMR will provide ethical oversight through its internal ethics body and the National Health Research Ethics Committee [NHREC] in managing the data and samples generated by the research projects.
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