Genomic medicine in Africa: promise, problems and prospects

Remarkable progress has been made in using genomic information to determine how genes are regulated, and how they interact with each other and with the environment to control complex biochemical functions of living organisms in health and disease This information will have major benefits for the prevention, diagnosis and management of many diseases, including communicable and genetic diseases. In Africa, where infectious diseases are highly prevalent, research on pathogen genomes has enhanced our understanding of disease transmission, virulence mechanisms and avoidance of host defenses It is anticipated that this information will enable the development of new diagnostic tests, vaccines and therapeutic agents; it is also likely to lead to new approaches for vector control, and reveal why individuals and populations vary in their susceptibility to infectious diseases