School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

About the project

A united network of researchers from across Africa, the TrypanoGEN network is focused on undertsanding the genetic basis of Human African Trypanosomiasis

TrypanoGEN's goal is the improvement of the health of people living in developing nations, with a particular focus on human African trypanosomiasis. The network gathers a wide range of research expertise from across Africa and  Europe and has several aims:

• To generate a database of human genetic variation in different African countries to identify informative genetic markers, and the genes and pathways that are important for disease susceptibility and resistance
• To create and extensive biobank housed in network hubs to facilitate trypanosome research now and in the future
• To develop infrastructure in African laboratories and develop existing infrastructure to international standards and to devise standard operating procedures for sample collection and storage
• To provide training for African scientists to strengthen the capability for long-term research into trypanosomiasis

The TrypanoGEN network is comprised of three main hubs:

• Makerere University in Uganda
• The Centre International de Recherche Developpement sur L'Elevage en Zone Sub-humids (CIRDES) in Burkina Faso
• Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale (INRB) in the Demoncratic Republic of the Congo

The hubs are the centre for sample and clinical data collection and are the backbone of the training programs. Each of the hubs are additionally linked with several "spokes"across East and West Africa.

The overall goal of TrypanoGEN is to develop a greater understanding of natural mechanisms of disease resistance/susceptibility and to use that information to contribute to novel intervention strategies.

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First published: 19 May 2015