Yemaachi Biotech, Illumina unveil NovaSeq X Plus in Ghana …to reduce inequities in cancer care

Yemaachi Biotech, a pioneering genomics research company based in Ghana and Illumina, a global leader in sequencing technology, have announced, the arrival of the NovaSeq X Plus in Ghana to accelerate research that promises to reduce inequities in cancer care in African population.

The first of its kind in the coun­try, NovaSeq X Plus is the most powerful sequencer manufactured by Illumina yet, to Ghana.

“The NovaSeq X Plus can gen­erate more than double the number of genomes of our prior sequenc­ers. It has unprecedented speed, scale and accuracy and pushes the limits on what is possible with ge­netic sequencing. With NovaSeq X Plus, Yemaaachi is well positioned to reach their goals more quickly to help transform the lives of cancer patients.” Illumina Country Man­ager-Africa, Bridget Mogale, said in a statement issued by the company.

“At Illumina, we are driven by the power of genomics to positive­ly impact the world and are deeply committed to improving global health. We are pleased to have Yemaachi bring in this powerful sequencer to better understand cancers in populations of African descent and address existing dispar­ities in current data sets. This aligns very well with our commitment to expand diversity in genomics, and we are encouraged by Yemaachi’s leadership in driving this transfor­mation,” she said.

Cancer diagnosis and treatment globally the statement said was rapidly evolving from a traditional one-size- fits all approach to one that was tailored to an individual.

This shift, it said had initiated an era of precision medicine, altering how cancer is detected and treated.

“Historically, cancer research, examining the underlying genetic makeup of cancer, has predom­inantly been undertaken among individuals of European ancestry. This has meant that diagnosis and treatment pathways have not been optimized for individuals of African ancestry, which continues to contribute to inequities in cancer outcomes globally,” the statement said.

Earlier this year, Yemaachi an­nounced the launch of The African Cancer Atlas (TACA).

“This initiative, seeks to address the significant underrepresenta­tion of African genomic data in global cancer research by creating the world’s most comprehensive cancer genomic database focused on African populations. Illumina’s NovaSeq X Plus will help provide the sequencing throughput and capacity to make this database a reality.” Yaw Bediako, CEO, Ye­maachi said.

According to the World Health Organisation Global Cancer Ob­servatory’s cancer incidence and mortality database, cancer remains a significant public health challenge across Africa with the number of new cases rising rapidly each year.

“As pharma seeks to make treat­ments more and more precise, the need for more inclusive genomic data to inform drug discovery has never been greater. The African population is the most genetically diverse population in the world and has the potential to transform how we create new drugs,” Akwasi Asabere, VP Partnerships at Ye­maachi said.

“Our aim is to create the world’s most diverse cancer bio-database to inform the development of the next generation of cancer drugs that are effective across diverse populations across the world,” he said.

 BY TIMES REPORTER