NovaSeq X Plus
Yemaachi Biotech, a pioneering genomics research company based in Ghana and Illumina, a global leader in sequencing technology, has announced the arrival of the NovaSeq X Plus (the most powerful sequencer manufactured by Illumina yet), to Ghana.
It is the first of its kind in the country, aimed at accelerating research that promises to reduce inequities in cancer care in African population.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment globally is rapidly evolving from a traditional one-size- fits all approach to one that is tailored to an individual. Essentially, a person’s cancer is as unique as their fingerprint.
This shift has 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.
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.” said Yaw Bediako, CEO, Yemaachi.
“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.” said Illumina Country Manager-Africa, Bridget Mogale.
According to the World Health Organization 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. 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,” said Akwasi Asabere, VP Partnerships at Yemaachi.
“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”. said Mogale.