Yemaachi, the company dedicated to advancing precision oncology research and care in Africa for the benefit of patients everywhere, recently shared findings from a sequencing study in an abstract and poster presentation at the 14th AORTIC International Conference on Cancer in Africa.
The study, led by Dr. Lily Paemka, represents a collaboration between Yemaachi and the Paemka Lab at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) of the University of Ghana. The study profiled 106 samples of Ghanaian women with breast cancer with whole exome sequencing to identify associated somatic and driver mutations. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in known cancer genes including TP53, PIK3CA, BRCA1, NF1, and BRCA2 were found in 86% of samples. A novel BRCA1 variant was found at a high VAF (75%) suggesting that it is an important variant for future study.
“This work represents a growing effort, led by Yemaachi, to characterise cancer development and progression in individuals of African descent, who have traditionally been excluded from genomic oncology studies and clinical trials,” said Yaw Bediako, CEO of Yemaachi. “While this is currently the largest sequencing study of its kind conducted entirely in Africa, our vision is to rapidly scale this type of research to accelerate the development of powerful and precise diagnostics and therapeutics that work in diverse populations worldwide.”
In line with this vision, Yemaachi is announcing the formation of a pan-African clinical cancer research network, AfriCAN. The network will be focused on promoting pan-African cancer research, led by African clinicians and scientists and performed on the continent. AfriCAN will bring together clinicians, researchers, and key opinion leaders in oncology across Africa to share knowledge, promote collaboration and cross pollination of ideas, and highlight excellence among members.
Yemaachi already has an extensive network of 24 academic institutions, corporate partners, and hospitals across nine African countries who will be founding network members. Among Yemaachi’s clinical partners are institutions who see over 20,000 new cases of cancer each year. To learn more about participating in the AfriCAN network, potential members can get in touch at partners@yemaachi.com.
About Yemaachi
Yemaachi is creating and harnessing the world’s most robust cancer bio-database to develop the next generation of cancer diagnostics and drugs that are effective in diverse populations. Our mission is to save lives globally, while supporting the well-being of communities that inspire and advance this work. Yemaachi believes in a future where African genomic diversity, insights, and expertise are an integral part of precision oncology research, diagnostics, and therapeutics, for the benefit of patients everywhere.
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