Syndicate Bio, NICRAT partner to cancer

Syndicate Bio, a biotech company dedicated to advancing genomics and precision medicine, has formed a strategic partnership with the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) to launch the “Cancer Genome Nigeria” project to address rising cases in Nigeria.

According to the partners, this initiative aims to address cancer disparities by studying prevalent cancers across Nigeria’s regions and ethnic groups.

Abasi Ene-Obong, founder of Syndicate Bio, emphasised the importance of addressing these disparities and using collaboration to drive local and global genomics advancements.

“Syndicate Bio’s approach forges collaborative engagement with existing healthcare systems and stakeholders as a means to drive local impact across Africa and inclusive advancements in global genomics.”

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“This is why our partnership with NICRAT is important for the advancement of cancer research and treatment outcomes in Nigeria, the impact of which will be felt across the world through the inclusion of diverse genomes in global cancer research. NICRAT’s reach will ensure that the benefit of this study is felt across all of Nigeria’s geopolitical regions and enable the delivery of precision medicine to patients in Nigeria,” he said.

The strategic partnership will be a coordinated project to address cancer diagnosis and treatment in a game-changing way for patients in Nigeria. Through this project, the availability and accessibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) based cancer tests in the country, would pave the way for more targeted therapeutics for patients in Nigeria.

Also, the partnership will utilise NGS technology to decode the genomic profile of common cancers, offering patient-centric care, and access to diagnostics, personalized genetic reports, and therapeutics. They plan to expand the study from a pilot with 100 participants to 10,000 patients over five years.

In 2022, the Lancet Oncology Commission issued a report highlighting the alarming surge in cancer cases across sub-Saharan Africa projecting a potential doubling of cancer-related mortality in the region by 2030, driven by incomplete cancer data and limited access to screening and diagnostics.