Precision medicine for early diagnosis and reduced mortality of breast cancer in Kenya
A collaborative research project between Mount Kenya University and University of Edinburgh, UK
This project is funded by the pump prime grant from Medical Research Cancer UK. The purpose of the grant is to create a network of collaborations between UK and African scientists to study ways of combating non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project is thus a collaboration between Mount Kenya University as the Kenyan institution and University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. The Kenya team is led by Dr. Francis Makokha, Head Human Health Research Programme within the Directorate of Research & Innovation of Mount Kenya University.
The grant builds on the ongoing project “Genomic approaches for understanding breast cancer progression in Kenyan patients” funded by the National Research Fund (NRF). Other Kenyan collaborating institutions are Aga Khan University Hospital and A.I.C Kijabe Hospital. The Edinburgh team on the other hand is led by Dr. Jonine Figueroa, a Chancellor’s fellow at Asher Institute. The project seeks to profile circulating cell free nucleic acids in cancer patients with the aim of identifying markers that are of tumour origin and can be potentially used to develop non-invasive diagnostics for early detection of cancer and public health screening programmes. It is thus envisioned that study results will help develop ways of implementing targeted/personalized breast cancer treatment and diagnostics for its early detection.
