Syndicate Bio,NICRAT team up to tackle cancer disparities in Nigeria

Cynthia Ezekwe

Syndicate Bio, a biotech company focused on genomics and precision medicine, has announced a strategic partnership with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) to launch the Cancer Genome Nigeria project. The study aims to address cancer disparities by investigating the most common cancers across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and 300+ ethnolinguistic groups.

By analysing a large-scale dataset of Nigerian cancer genomes, the project aims to provide important insights into the molecular basis of cancer in the Nigerian population, as well as identify novel therapeutic opportunities.

The Cancer Genome Nigeria project, which was launched in September 2023 by Abasi Ene-Obong, the founder of Syndicate Bio, and co-founders Jumi Popoola and Estelle Dogbo, will study the most common cancers in Nigeria, the most populous and diverse country in Africa..

Through the Cancer Genome Nigeria project, the availability and accessibility of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) cancer tests in the country will be increased, paving the way for more targeted therapeutics for patients in Nigeria.

The Lancet Oncology Commission’s report in 2022 highlighted the alarming increase in cancer cases across Sub-Saharan Africa. The report projected that by 2030, cancer-related mortality in the region may double, due to a lack of comprehensive cancer data, as well as limited access to screening and diagnostics. This highlights the need for collaboration between various stakeholders to address this crisis.

The initiative will serve as a blueprint for ethical research on a large scale, providing real-time benefits to patients and their caregivers, and will also generate data to help better understand the mutational signatures in cancers and their frequencies in Nigeria. The pilot study will involve 100 participants and will sequence the top oncogenes associated with solid tumors (breast, prostate, non-small cell lung cancer, liver, and colorectal cancer) in the country. Over the next five years, the initiative is set to expand to up to 10,000 patients.

In addition, the partnership will pioneer the use of NGS technology in Nigeria to decode the genomic profiles of common cancers, which will enable patient-centric care, access to life-saving diagnostics, personalized genetic reports, and targeted therapeutics.

As part of the study, the partnership aims to develop a research resource tool that can be used globally for preclinical and clinical cancer research, as well as to promote the widespread adoption of targeted therapeutics for cancer treatment in Nigeria.

In a statement on the partnership, Usman Malami Aliyu, director general of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Treatment, said, “Collaborating with technical partners like Syndicate Bio, is a pivotal moment in our research and treatment. This study, designed by and for Nigerians will change diagnostics and the long term care of our country’s cancer patients.”

Abasi Ene-Obong, the CEO of Syndicate Bio, added: “The disparities in cancer care in Nigeria and across Africa are a systemic problem that require tailored solutions. Our approach at Syndicate Bio is to collaborate with existing healthcare systems and stakeholders to drive local impact across Africa and advance global genomics in an inclusive way. This is why our partnership with NICRAT is critical for the advancement of cancer research and treatment outcomes in Nigeria, with the potential to benefit the world through the inclusion of diverse genomes in global cancer research.”