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19 July 2018 Photo Supplied
AEVGI advances Next-Generation Sequencing in Africa
Prof George Armah, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Ghana; Prof Carl Kirkwood, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA; Cornelius Hagenmeier, Director: Internationalisation, UFS; Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean: Health Sciences; Dr Martin Nyaga, Senior Lecturer in the NGS Unit; Prof Joyce Tsoka-Gwegweni, Vice-Dean: Health Sciences; Dr Glen Taylor, Senior Director: Research and Development; Prof Jeffrey Mphahlele, Vice-President, South African Medical Research Council.

The inaugural edition of the University of the Free State (UFS) Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Data and Bioinformatics Workshop, hosted by the UFS-NGS Unit in the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, marked a new beginning for the advancement of NGS in Africa under the auspices of the African Enteric Viruses Genome Initiative (AEVGI), which was recently funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The AEVGI will generate rotavirus genomes at the UFS-NGS Unit to investigate the long-term effects of the introduction of the monovalent RV1 vaccine in three African countries – Ghana, Malawi, and South Africa.

The workshop attracted over 90 participants from 15 national and international institutions, with organisations from seven different countries as well as company representatives attending the event. The workshop kicked off with a courtesy call to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, followed by a stakeholder meeting with the executive management of the UFS.

The funding was secured through an award to the principal investigator, Dr Martin Nyaga, and sub-awards to co-investigators, Dr Khuzwayo Jere, Dr Francis Dennis, and Dr Valentine Ndze. According to attendee evaluations of the workshop, the remarkable performance of the workshop instructors was outstanding. Through practical sessions, participants were equipped with knowledge on how to apply several tools of genetic data analysis, using the rotavirus genome as a model to construct and interpret different genomic datasets.

A total of 65 students attended the hands-on workshop, the majority of which were from South African higher-education institutions. The organisers are grateful to the sponsors, particularly to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the University of the Free State, for making the workshop a success. Whitehead Scientific and the South African Medical Research Council also played a major role in the success of the workshop. The local organising committee consisted of Dr Martin Nyaga (host, convener and chair), Dr Saheed Sabiu (secretary), and Mr Stephanus Riekert (principal ICT support).

News Archive

Kovsie Extravaganza
2011-09-14

 

Once again, Kovsies will showcase its most talented students at the Sand du Plessis Theatre in the annual Kovsie Extravaganza on 21st and 22nd September 2011. With guest artists, Vusi ‘The Voice’ Mahlasela and Die Heuwels Fantasties, it promises to be a first-class production. Expect music styles as diverse as hip-hop and pantsula dancers, a student string quartet, jazz band, various vocal groups and the winners of the campus serenade competition.

While it will certainly be a night to remember, this year will also benefit a cause you will find hard to forget. R25 of every ticket sold will go towards the No Student Hungry campaign (NSH), currently feeding just over a hundred Kovsie students on a daily basis. This means that the donation from each ticket bought will effectively buy one student food for one day.

Hunger on the Kovsie campus is an invisible problem that few ever consider, yet it affects an estimated 10% of the 31 000 students at Kovsies. ‘The problem with hunger at a learning institution is that it hampers talent. A hungry person can never achieve their full potential,’ says Grace Jansen, patroness of NSH.

To help alleviate this situation, you can buy a ticket for R75 at the PACOFS ticket office and join us on the 21st or 22nd September at the Sand du Plessis Theatre. Not only will it be a great night out, but you'll be doing your bit to invest in talent. Watch the press over the next two weeks for more information on this initiative.

If you'd like to know more about this topic or to schedule an interview with Cornelia Faasen, please contact her on 051 401 2819 or e-mail faasenc@ufs.ac.za.

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