As the world frantically searches for solution to the COVID-19 pandemic, a private Nigerian laboratory has joined the race to produce a vaccine against the deadly disease.
African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), located at Redeemer University in Ede, Osun State, is collaborating with Cambridge University in the United Kingdom on the project.
The private laboratory, which is a strategic partner of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), is responsible for all COVID-19 testing in Kwara and the south-west states, except Lagos.
Coordinating the project at the centre is Christian Happi, a professor of molecular biology and genomics study who as the laboratory’s director runs the project that is currently at early vaccine development stage.
He leads a team of 21 African researchers and vaccine developers in the race toward the production of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr Happi’s journey to the peak of molecular biology and genomics study started modestly in 1992 at the University of Yaounde, Cameroon, where he completed a bachelor’s degree and proceeded to Nigeria where he took masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Ibadan.
After a postdoctoral fellowship at the famed Harvard University School of Public Health in the United States, Mr Happi worked as a research scientist for three years at the same institution from 2004 and became an adjunct professor between 2007-2011.
He is currently a visiting professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases (IID), at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), and the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology of the same university.Harvard University.
He confirmed the diagnosis of the first case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria in 2014 and worked closely with Nigerian health authorities for the successful containment of the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria.
Mr Happi has received several prestigious International Awards for innovation and Health Leaderships, including the Merle Sande Africa Health Leadership in 2011 and the 2019 Human Genome Organization (HUGO) Africa Prize in recognition of his outstanding and extensive contributions in applying genomics knowledge in addressing major infectious diseases challenges in Africa, especially malaria and Lassa fever and Ebola Virus Disease.
One of the young scientists involved in the project at ACEGID is Judith Oguzie, a researcher and Ph.D candidate in Molecular Biology and Genomics.
“My role in the COVID19 work is on diagnostics of patient samples by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and next generation sequencing of positive samples to understand genomic diversity of the virus circulating in Nigeria. These data we generate will inform understanding of the virus and help in drug and vaccine development,”
Source:Premium Times
