Genomics Centre
The SAMRC Genomics Platform was established in July 2019 through a partnership between the SAMRC and the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) to provide next generation sequencing (NGS) to African scientists. The SAMRC’s investment to establish one of the first African genomics sequencing facilities was well timed with global funding initiatives to promote African genomics, guidelines incorporating NGS into routine diagnostics and the acceleration of precision medicine. The SAMRC Genomics Platform is a purpose-built NGS facility consisting of multiple laboratories capable of generating large "omics" datasets. It is situated on the first floor of the SAMRC NIVS building on the Tygerberg Hospital Campus.
The SAMRC Genomics Platform operates in two distinct, but interconnected arms. The first arm is the service delivery arm which will be responsible for providing NGS services to paying clients. The second arm is the research arm, which generates independent and collaborative research outputs and builds NGS capacity in South Africa. We currently support infrastructure for short- and long read NGS from MGI and Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
The goal and vision for the SAMRC Genomics Platform is to grow South Africa’s capacity for NGS and engage in an Afrocentric approach to reducing South Africa’s burden of disease. The SAMRC Genomics Platform is a key national resource for omics research and the implementation of precision medicine. It currently facilitates four of the key technologies driving precision medicine and precision public health: genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and metagenomics.
The cost of NGS sequencing has always been a hurdle for researchers in South Africa. The SAMRC Genomics Platform actively engages key stakeholders to lower the cost barrier and enable affordable NGS services at a more centralized location. It furthermore enables sustainable capacity development in both NGS and data science.
Next generation sequencing price list - View or download
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