A bold initiative to revolutionize healthcare across Africa and Europe has been launched under the EU-Africa PerMed Action Plan, a groundbreaking collaboration focused on advancing personalized medicine. The plan, developed through a four-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, aims to bridge infrastructure gaps, establish genomic data repositories, and enhance bioinformatics capabilities across the two continents.
Initiated in 2021, the project brings together 13 partners—six from Europe and seven from Africa—and seeks to integrate personalized medicine into healthcare systems to address unique patient needs. Personalized medicine tailors treatments based on an individual’s genetic makeup, environment, and lifestyle, offering a more precise alternative to conventional approaches.
Despite its global potential, personalized medicine has been predominantly developed in wealthier countries, with genomic studies focusing largely on individuals of European descent. Africa, while making strides in countries like South Africa and Egypt, faces challenges in infrastructure, bioinformatics, and comprehensive genomic data repositories. The EU-Africa PerMed Action Plan aims to address these disparities through collaborative efforts and resource sharing between Africa and Europe.
The action plan includes initiatives to create biobanks and genomic hubs in Africa, promote cross-continental collaboration, and share resources, expertise, and data. It emphasizes equity, sustainability, and inclusivity, aiming to empower African nations to define their genomics priorities.
“Africa’s people must be able to write their genomics agenda,” said Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed, a lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania, during a webinar on January 20 to unveil the plan. “Strategic funding and improved infrastructure are essential to making this collaboration transformative.”
Monika Frenzel, international coordinator at France’s National Research Agency and one of the lead authors of the action plan, highlighted the importance of active stakeholder involvement from both continents. “We need to collaborate between regions to create comprehensive datasets that allow for broadly applicable solutions,” she explained.
The plan outlines recommendations for research funders, ministries, and regulatory bodies, although it does not specify a timeline for implementation. Its architects stress the importance of local engagement, urging African researchers and healthcare professionals to take an active role in shaping the future of personalized medicine on the continent.
“This collaboration lays the foundation, but it’s up to us to make use of it,” Alimohamed emphasized.
As the EU-Africa PerMed Action Plan begins to unfold, its success will hinge on strategic investments, robust infrastructure development, and cross-border cooperation to ensure sustainable and transformative outcomes for healthcare in Africa and beyond.
Article by Jed Mwangi
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