Nigeria’s medical academy calls for more genomic research
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
The Nigerian Academy of Medical Sciences is calling on the federal government to increase funding for biomedical and genomic research. The increase should promote affordable treatments, strengthen pandemic preparedness and support employment, according to participants at its annual scientific conference, as reported by Punch.
The Academy of Medical Sciences of Nigeria has called on the federal government to increase funding for biomedical and genomic research in order to develop affordable treatments and better prepare the country for pandemics. The request was made at its annual scientific conference, held on Friday 30 October in Lagos, according to the Nigerian newspaper Punch.
Azeez Butali, a professor of diagnostic sciences at the University of Iowa and the conference’s keynote speaker, estimated that every dollar invested in the Human Genome Project had generated about $141 in returns. He called for research to make treatments for sickle-cell disease more accessible, among other aims. Despite the disease’s high prevalence in Nigeria, he said, many patients cannot afford the available care, including bone marrow transplants.
Research funding could also support employment and encourage young scientists to pursue careers in the field. Butali also called for investment in vaccine research, saying it was insufficient to respond to epidemic risks by repeating the port closures used during previous health crises.
