Page 151 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Gathering of key local and international stakeholders at the mRNA Summit held in
Cape Town from April 2023.

Project Africa GRADIENT principal investigators, collaborators, and students
who travelled from Burkina Faso, Mali and various
(Genomic research approach for South African provinces to attend the face-to-
diversity and optimising therapeutics) face workshop. The workshop aimed to cultivate
Project Africa GRADIENT is an innovation funding the existing GRADIENT community, fostering
programme established between GlaxoSmithKline collaborations among principal investigators and
R&D Ltd (GSK) and Novartis SA (Pty) Ltd and ultimately establishing a central genomics database
administered by the SAMRC’s GIPD unit, with a consolidating research outcomes and making them
primary focus on assessing genetic diversity's role accessible to all.
in variability concerning drug exposure, efficacy,
and safety for treating TB and malaria in Africa. Nine The programme is receiving good publicity.
projects were awarded in 2022 and are now in their Stellenbosch University led an Editorial, in
second years, with the projects yielding significant collaboration with the GRADIENT principal
data and creating valuable databases. investigators, titled "Advancing Pharmacogenetics
Research in Africa: The Project Africa GRADIENT
On 6th February 2024, the SAMRC hosted the 2nd Initiative," which was published in February 2024.
Project Africa GRADIENT workshop, following In March 2024, GSK and Novartis launched a media
the success of the 1st workshop held in 2022. The campaign, on LinkedIn and X (Twitter), profiling
workshop was attended by GSK and Novartis the various projects to promote the programme
representatives from Spain and the UK and and its outcomes.

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