Human Heredity and Health in Africa Consortium Biorepository

Wits Health Consortium (Pty), Ltd, Johannesburg

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Project Summary Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) was established with funding from both the National Institutes of Health Common Fund and the Wellcome Trust with the aim of expanding genomic research and research capacity on the Africa continent. A key component of the projects funded under H3Africa is data and biospecimen sharing and to ensure that biospecimens were collected and stored for additional research, biorepositories were established. The H3Africa Biorepository at Clinical Laboratory Services (CLS) was the first facility to be scaled-up to meet the needs of H3Africa projects. It leveraged on an existing biorepository infrastructure which was supported at CLS by a GCLP-compliant clinical pathology service and clinical trials division. CLS is a division of the University of Witwatersrand?s research division, the Wits Health Consortium (WHC) which provides administrative and legal assistance to all of CLS?s projects. During the funding period from 2014- 2019, the infrastructure at the CLS biorepository was expanded considerably and technical expertise was developed. All samples from NIH-funded projects in the first phase were collected, transported and stored in alignment with best practice and with the ethical, legal and societal considerations of storage in Africa. The goal of the H3Africa biorepository at CLS for the second phase of funding is to continue to provide a high-quality storage facility for genomic DNA and other sample types from the H3Africa projects while continuing to store for clinical trials, pharmaceutical industry and other research partners in alignment with its business model and competitive fee-for-service pricing structure. The biorepository has expanded its value-added sample processing facilities by including Next- Generation Sequencing capacity, automated nucleic acid extraction and rare cell population sorting and aims to provide these services to researchers while building capacity and technical competence. It is also developing Africa-specific training material for biorepository science. The CLS biorepository is actively partnering with institutions (including the Universities of Witwatersrand and Pretoria), national government (including the Departments of Health and Science and Technology) and regional structures including the African Union to ensure that the biorepository infrastructure is maintained as a regional resource and will continue to advocate for African biorepositories in international and regional forums including the International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories.