SUPER Project Progress Update: AHRI And EPHI Project Team Finalize 10-day Genomic Sequencing Training ( Wet Lab And Bioinformatics)

With the continual advancement of sequencing technologies within the discipline of genomics-based research, the AHRI and EPHI project team involved in the SUPER Project were exposed to a 10-day  Next Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics training for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The training which concluded on Thursday, 27th of January 2022 at EPHI premises has advanced the skill set of the two collaborating project teams who will now move forward to subject over 1,000 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples collected across 14 hospitals and laboratories to the next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses to identify any new variants.

During the course of the project, the efficacy of existing diagnostic assays for detecting these different variants will be tested. New genomic data will be promptly uploaded to public repositories, and a web-based platform will be developed to rapidly communicate research findings to relevant stakeholders, including the Ethiopian Ministry of Health so that results can be readily translated into public health policy.

The SUPER project which is an acronym for Scaling Up Pathogen Genomic Sequencing for Epidemic Response in Ethiopia (SUPER) secured its grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation under the Global Grand Challenges and is set to run till August 31, 2022.

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