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Advancing intercontinental collaboration in human genetics: success story of the African and European Young Investigator Forum

European Journal of Human Genetics volume 32, pages 3–5 (2024)Cite this article

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The field of human genetics has witnessed significant growth and advancements, leading to profound implications in understanding genetic diseases, population diversity, and personalized medicine. Advances in human genetics research rely heavily on international collaborations that encourage the cultivation and exchange of ideas, expertise, and resources. However, most of the genetic studies are largely Eurocentric [1]. Because Africa is a continent with the most genetically diverse populations, intercontinental collaboration is necessary to combat disparity in genetic studies [2]. The importance of international partnerships, particularly between Africa and Europe, has become increasingly recognized [3]. By embracing diversity, promoting inclusiveness, and creating networking opportunities, Africa and Europe can collectively contribute to advancements in human genetic research, personalized medicine, and global healthcare outcomes.

This viewpoint highlights the establishment and activities of the Young Investigators Forum (YIF) in advancing global collaborations, engaging young investigators, and nurturing scientific talent in human genetics. This collaboration between the African and European young geneticists was conceived in 2022 during the International Federation of Human Genetics Meeting in Austria. This led to the organization of a successful YIF Meeting on February 21, 2023, at the University of Cape Town as a preceding event to the 14th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG2023) [4].

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Fig. 1: Country of residence for the YIF 2023 participants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the speakers, organizers and jury members. We also acknowledge support from many members, including Prof. Michele Ramsay, Prof. Raj Ramesar, Prof. Nicki Tiffin, Dr. Oppah Kuguyo, Prof. Scott Willams, and Dr. Michelle Skelton.

Funding

The manuscript received no specific funding. The main funders for the YIF event include: the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number: U24HL135600, the National Human Genomic Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number: U24HG009780 and R13HG012306, International Federation of Human Genetics, Inqaba Biotech and the Wellcome Connecting Science.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed, Khuthala Mnika, Samuel Mawuli Adadey.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es salaam, Tanzania

    Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed

  2. Tanzania Human Genetics Organization, Dar es salaam, Tanzania

    Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed

  3. Department of Genetics, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

    Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed

  4. Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Services, and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Khuthala Mnika & Patracia Nevondwe

  5. Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Khuthala Mnika, Samuel Mawuli Adadey, Wilson Mupfururirwa & Victoria Nembaware

  6. West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 54, Legon GA184, Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana

    Samuel Mawuli Adadey

  7. European Society of Human Genetics-Young Committee, Vienna, Austria

    Rita Barbosa-Matos, Juliana Xavier de Miranda Cerqueira, Rhys Dore, Ileana-Delia Săbău, Silvia Kalantari, Ana Raquel Gouveia Freitas da Silva, Mridul Johari & Magdalena Mroczek

  8. Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Rita Barbosa-Matos

  9. International Doctoral Programme in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology Applied to Health Sciences (BiotechHealth), School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Rita Barbosa-Matos

  10. Medicover Ophthalmology and Ophthalmogenetics Department, Bucharest, Romania

    Elena Avram

  11. Medlife Ophthalmology Department, Bucharest, Romania

    Elena Avram

  12. Public and Professional Policy Committee, European Society of Human Genetics, Vienna, Austria

    Elena Avram

  13. Computational Biology Group, Department of Integrative Biomedical Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Wisdom A. Akurugu

  14. Coeliac Disease Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    Juliana Xavier de Miranda Cerqueira

  15. Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Juliana Xavier de Miranda Cerqueira

  16. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Rhys Dore

  17. Synevo-Department of Medical Genetics, Bucharest, Romania

    Ileana-Delia Săbău

  18. Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

    Silvia Kalantari

  19. Serviço de Genética Médica, Departamento de Pediatria, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal

    Ana Raquel Gouveia Freitas da Silva

  20. Department of Clinical Laboratory Services, Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Nigeria

    Abbas Abel Anzaku

  21. Wellcome Connecting Science, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK

    Alice Matimba

  22. Computational Biology Division, Department of Integrative Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, CIDRI Africa Wellcome Trust Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Paballo Abel Chauke

  23. Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia

    Mridul Johari

  24. Folkhälsan Research Center, Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, Medicum, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Mridul Johari

Authors
  1. Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed
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  2. Khuthala Mnika
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  3. Samuel Mawuli Adadey
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  4. Rita Barbosa-Matos
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  5. Elena Avram
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  6. Patracia Nevondwe
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  7. Wisdom A. Akurugu
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  8. Wilson Mupfururirwa
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  9. Juliana Xavier de Miranda Cerqueira
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  10. Rhys Dore
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  11. Ileana-Delia Săbău
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  12. Silvia Kalantari
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  13. Ana Raquel Gouveia Freitas da Silva
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  14. Abbas Abel Anzaku
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  15. Alice Matimba
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  16. Paballo Abel Chauke
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  17. Mridul Johari
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  18. Victoria Nembaware
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  19. Magdalena Mroczek
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Contributions

YIF conceptualization: MZA, KM, SMA, EA, PN, WAA, VN; Manuscript writing workshop conceptualization: SMA, RBM, MZA, MM; Reviewing abstracts from YIF: all authors; YIF organization on site: MZA, KM, RBM, EA, PN, WAA, WM, JXMC, RD, IDS, AM, PAC, MJ, WN, MM; Preparing graphics: RBM; First viewpoint draft: MZA, MJ, MM; manuscript revisions: all authors. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Magdalena Mroczek.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Alimohamed, M.Z., Mnika, K., Adadey, S.M. et al. Advancing intercontinental collaboration in human genetics: success story of the African and European Young Investigator Forum. Eur J Hum Genet 32, 3–5 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-023-01487-6

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