A Ghanaian Scientist’s Quest to Create a Genetic Map of Cancer in Africa
Sequencing the human genome enables scientists to study human biology in a granular fashion and use that information to create treatments for things like cancer. Yet, of the human genomes studied so far, only 2% have been those of Africans. Yemaachi Biotech company in Ghana is addressing that through its Africa Cancer Atlas, partnering with […]
‘The Field of Human Ancestry is Rife with Racism’: Pioneering Project to Build Cancer Database in Africa.
When Yaw Bediako lost his father to liver cancer, it set the Ghanaian immunologist on a journey to know more about the disease. He quickly realised the burden of cancer in Africa was much greater than he had thought – accounting for about 700,000 deaths every year – and that very few scientific papers about the disease […]
Yemaachi Presents Findings on Mutation Profiles of Ghanaian Women with Breast Cancer at AORTIC 2023; Announces Formation of African Clinical Cancer Research Network
Results presented in collaboration with Paemka Research Group at the University of Ghana represent largest sequencing study of its kind conducted entirely in Africa to date; Company’s cancer network will advance and scale precision oncology research and collaborations across the continent
Assessing the utility of liquid biopsy for detecting actionable genetic mutations among indigenous Ghanaian women with metastatic breast cancer.
Liquid biopsy detected multiple actionable variants in Ghanaian women with breast cancer that a tissue-only workflow missed. cfDNA analysis featured less variations in sample preparation which is a key consideration in resource-limited settings.
Liquid Biopsy – The necessary first step towards democratising precision oncology?
While IHC and imaging are useful for diagnosing and staging cancers, they are limited in their ability to inform clinical decision-making regarding the use of increasingly available targeted therapies that are revolutionising cancer care in developed countries. For this, more advanced molecular tests are required, and next generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy tests are at the cutting edge.
Global team to study international differences in COVID-19 immunity
Supported by £3.1 million from the Wellcome Trust, the newly-created WWW Consortium links three leading studies in West Africa (Yemaachi Biotech Heritage Study), the West Indies (Windfall Study in Kingston, Jamaica), and West London (the Legacy Study), each tracking how both the virus and our immunity has evolved against COVID-19.
African biotech holds the key to transforming not just the health of African people, but our economies as well
Why has over a decade of political rhetoric and unprecedented donor support for scientific capacity building not translated into more tangible scientific output?
A closer look reveals a glaring gap in the current structure of the scientific ecosystem in Africa – the almost complete absence of the private sector.
Ghana startup strives for greater African representation in cancer research
As one of Ghana’s only labs equipped for molecular analysis, Bediako’s team have tasked themselves with collecting data they believe will advance the development of medicine for cancer patients throughout the continent and diaspora
Yemaachi, Africa’s Cancer Research Company, Raises Seed Round To Diversify Genomic Datasets & Advance Precision Oncology Globally
Yemaachi Biotech announced today the close of a $3 million seed round to advance its mission of diversifying precision oncology globally. V8 Capital led the round, with LifeLine Family Heritage Fund, Y Combinator, Tencent, LoftyInc Capital, VestedWorld, V Square Capital and Ethan Perlstein also participating.