Accra, Ghana, March 6th, 2024—Yemaachi today announced that a global, interdisciplinary team of researchers, including Yemaachi CEO & Co-founder Yaw Bediako, has been named a recipient of a Cancer Grand Challenges award of up to $25 million over five years to advance research on cancer inequities.
“We couldn’t be prouder to be part of this global team of collaborators, tackling one of the most important challenges in cancer today—inequity in research, diagnosis, and outcomes— and to be led by Melissa B. Davis, PhD, a true pioneer in the field of cancer genomics and health equity,” said Yaw Bediako, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of Yemaachi. “We are confident that this work will be fruitful and will contribute to innovations that will benefit patients globally. We are honored by Team SAMBAI’s belief in our scientific work and impact-driven mission.”
Inequities in cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment lead to disparities in cancer incidence and mortality and are a major public health concern. Team SAMBAI aims to create an unprecedented resource– the SAMBAI Biobank and Data Repository for Cancer Equity Research – to define the factors that cause and influence disparate cancer outcomes in diverse underserved populations, with a focus on breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer in people of African descent. SAMBAI’s research and biobank will include comprehensive measurement of social, environmental, genetic and biological factors that can be used to help characterize, understand, and eliminate cancer inequities.
“Diversifying cancer genomics and research is critical to improving outcomes. Team SAMBAI’s work will help realize the promise of precision medicine for the benefit of underrepresented communities and patients everywhere,” said Melissa B. Davis, PhD, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and Team Lead for SAMBAI.
Cancer Grand Challenges is a global funding initiative, co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, that supports a community of diverse, global teams to come together, think differently and take on cancer’s toughest challenges.
About Yemaachi
Yemaachi is creating and harnessing the world’s most robust cancer bio-database to develop the next generation of cancer diagnostics and drugs that are effective in diverse populations. Our mission is to save lives globally, while supporting the well-being of communities that inspire and advance this work. Yemaachi believes in a future where African genomic diversity, insights, and expertise are an integral part of precision oncology research, diagnostics, and therapeutics, for the benefit of patients everywhere.
About Cancer Grand Challenges
Co-founded in 2020 by two of the largest funders of cancer research in the world: Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges supports a global community of diverse, world-class research teams to come together, think differently and take on some of cancer’s toughest challenges. These are the obstacles that continue to impede progress and no one scientist, institution or country will be able to solve them alone. With awards of up to $25M, Cancer Grand Challenges teams are empowered to rise above the traditional boundaries of geography and discipline to make the progress against cancer we urgently need.
About Team SAMBAI
Team SAMBAI aims to create an unprecedented resource– the SAMBAI Biobank and Data Repository for Cancer Equity Research – to define the factors that cause and influence disparate cancer outcomes in diverse underserved populations, with a focus on breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer in people of African descent. The team is led by Dr. Melissa B. Davis, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine. Team SAMBAI envisions that its approach will allow for the clarification of critical cancer inequalities research questions and provide unparalleled international datasets for testing hypotheses to produce global action to overcome cancer inequities. The team is funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute through Cancer Grand Challenges.
Media Contacts
Amy Puliafito for Yemaachi
Katie Conroy for Cancer Grand Challenges
Jamille Bradfield for Morehouse School of Medicine