In partnership with MRC Units in the UK, the Unit in Uganda conducted a three-week-long research and training session aimed at capitalising on key scientific resources across the MRC to strengthen research capacity in Uganda.  

The networking affair was launched with a Mendelian Randomisation workshop attended by scientists from the Unit’s three research themes: viral pathogens, vaccine research and non-communicable diseases. The highly interactive workshop was led by researchers from the MRC at Bristol University and scientists from the Unit’s NCD genomics research group.    

With funding from Wellcome, Dr Segun Fatumo, a genomics expert in the Unit’s NCD research theme facilitated a "Polygenic Risk Score Analysis in Global Populations" workshop alongside the Wellcome Connecting Science UK and Makerere University. The workshop was held at the African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics (ACE) at Makerere University in Kampala and targeted the needs of participants from research and academia.  

 With additional support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the team further hosted a workshop on African Data and Biospecimen Exchange (ADBEx) - an online data-sharing platform to facilitate equitable sharing of data and biospecimens originating in Africa. The session linked scientists from the Unit’s research platforms such as clinical Diagnostics and Laboratory Services (CDLS), the General Population Cohort (GPC), immunology and sequencing with scientists from across Africa and facilitated exchange of knowledge to enable the establishment of safe and equitable systems of data sharing across the continent. 

About the NCD Theme 

The NCD Research Theme seeks to study and understand the distinct manifestations of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa, and their drivers, as well as develop appropriate prevention and management intervention strategies.

Learn more about the NCD research theme