Completed Genetics & Molecular Biology Infection & Immunity

Expansion and support of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in West and Central Africa to support the COVID-19 pandemic response

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Associated organisations University of Birmingham · University of Cambridge · University of Edinburgh · University of Ghana Europe PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding £2.3M
Period Aug 2021 — Jan 2023

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

West and Central Africa have produced fewer than 2,000 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences—less than 0.002% of the global total—while the UK alone has generated more than 400,000. This massive disparity means that when new variants of concern emerge in this region, they can spread undetected for weeks or months. Variants such as P.1 in Brazil and B.1.351 in South Africa have already shown they can alter transmissibility, virulence, and resistance to vaccine-induced immunity. Without local sequencing capacity, public health officials cannot spot these threats early, adapt vaccine programmes, or slow their spread to other continents. The project builds on the existing ARTIC network to create a hub-and-spoke system of sequencing laboratories across West and Central Africa. It will also develop training materials and tools for whole-genome sequencing and data analysis, so local scientists can run the system themselves rather than shipping samples abroad. If successful, this would give the region a permanent surveillance infrastructure—not just for COVID-19, but for future viral threats. That would close a dangerous blind spot in global pandemic monitoring.

View original technical description
The recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) have altered transmissibility, virulence and susceptibility to neutralising antibodies, leading to concern over the potential for new variants to emerge that have increased resistance to vaccine-induced immunity. This has led to a renewed focus on the deployment of whole-genome sequencing surveillance to detect variants early, to stop or slow their spread, and to enable vaccine programmes to adapt. However, despite increased genome sequencing, disparity in access to laboratory support and genomic sequencing across the globe has become increasingly evident: to date West and Central Africa produced ~2,000 sequences ( 400,000 from the UK. The VOCs such as P.1 in Brazil and B.1.351 in South Africa can emerge anywhere, further highlighting the urgent unmet need to develop sustainable solutions for COVID-19 sequencing in this underserved region. This proposal builds on the experience of the ARTIC network and regional collaborators to support SARS-CoV-2 sequencing in West and Central Africa. The key goals of this proposal are to: - Develop a hub and spoke network of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing labs in West and Central Africa. - Develop a suite of COVID-19 focused training materials and tools for whole-genome sequencing and subsequent data analysis.

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Researchers

Andrew Rambaut (EPMC Awardee)Gordon Awandare (EPMC Awardee)Ian Goodfellow (EPMC Awardee)Joshua Quick (EPMC Awardee)Nicholas Loman (EPMC Awardee)Osbourne Quaye (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Genomic Surveillance program for SARS-CoV-2: Consortium of India and Sri Lanka
Virus Genomics for Outbreak Response (ViGOR) in Central/East Africa
African COVID-19 Preparedness (AFRICO19)
Cross-AAPs acceleration of genomics for escalating infectious diseases
Leveraging COG-UK expertise to support the global dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing

Original classification

Coronavirus

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