Publications

Abstract Background: Limited representation of African populations in cancer genomics constrains the clinical applicability of precision oncology. We describe the establishment and early outcomes of The African Cancer Atlas (TACA), a multi-site platform integrating genomics, harmonized clinical data, and community engagement for adult breast cancer research across Africa.  Methods: TACA, led by Yemaachi Biotech, has so far… Read more: Early lessons from the implementation of a pan-African clinico-genomic cancer platform: The African Cancer Atlas

Abstract Background: Triple‑negative breast cancer (TNBC) is disproportionately common among women of African ancestry and is associated with aggressive clinical behavior and limited therapeutic options. Understanding demographic and contextual determinants of TNBC across African countries is essential to improving prevention, early detection, and precision oncology strategies. Using harmonized data from The African Cancer Atlas (TACA)–an… Read more: Determinants of triple‑negative breast cancer among African patients: Early results from The African Cancer Atlas

Alexandra Lindsey Djomkam Zune , Charles Ochieng’ Olwal, Emmanuel Agbeli , Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo , Emmanuella Amoako, Yaw Bediako , Lily Paemka. Abstract Variations in drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters are associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs to cancer drugs can differ among populations owing to environmental and genetic differences. Due to limited resources and prohibitive costs associated with drug development, African countries rely on… Read more: Precision Medicine on a Budget in Africa: using existing genetic data to mitigate adverse drug reactions to conventional cancer drugs.

At Yemaachi, Bediako is developing cancer diagnostics and treatments tailored to Africans, and he describes the limited official data on patients with cancer across Africa as a major challenge.

David Greenwood,  Marianne Shawe-Taylor,  Hermaleigh Townsley, Joshua Gahir,  Nikita Sahadeo,  Yakubu Alhassan,  Charlotte Chaloner, Oliver Galgut,  Gavin Kelly,  David L V Bauer,  Emma C Wall,  Mary Y Wu, Edward J Carr Bioinformatics Advances, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2024, vbae146, https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbae146 Abstract Motivation: Observational cohort studies that track vaccine and infection responses offer real-world data to inform pandemic policy. Translating biological hypotheses, such as whether different patterns of… Read more: Chronogram: an R package for data curation and analysis of infection and vaccination cohort studies