Inauguration of the Tanzania Society of Human Genetics: Biomedical Research in Tanzania with Emphasis on Human Genetics and Genomics

Abstract

Human genetics research and applications are rapidly growing areas in health innovations and services. African populations are reported to be highly diverse and carry the greatest number of variants per genome. Exploring these variants is key to realize the genomic medicine initiative. However, African populations are grossly underrepresented in various genomic databases, which has alerted scientists to address this issue with urgency. In Tanzania, human genetics research and services are conducted in different institutions on both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. However, there is poor coordination of the research activities, often leading to limited application of the research findings and poor utilization of available resources. In addition, contributions from Tanzanian human genetics research and services are not fully communicated to the government, national, and international communities. To address this scientific gap, the Tanzania Society of Human Genetics (TSHG) has been formed to bring together all stakeholders of human genetics activities in Tanzania and to formally bring Tanzania as a member to the African Society of Human Genetics. This article describes the inauguration event of the TSHG, which took place in November 2019. It provides a justification for its establishment and discusses presentations from invited speakers who took part in the inauguration of the TSHG.

Rare diseases in Tanzania: a National Call for Action to address policy and urgent needs of individuals with rare diseases

“…In Tanzania, Ali Kimara Rare Disease Foundation (AKRDF) and other stakeholders organised the first RDD in 2016 and subsequently in 2019. On 29th February 2020, AKRDF and the Tanzania Human Genetics Organization (THGO) [ 14 ] jointly organised the third RDD commemorations which included government representatives and other multiple stakeholders for the first time in the country’s history (see details of the organisers and the event in Additional file 1 : 1a and 1b). THGO brought in scientific expertise, advocacy and research experience to offer support to individuals with RDs and their families towards the broader mission of engaging the government and other stakeholders for increased support and awareness on different aspects of RDs in the country.…”

Advancing genetic testing for neurological disorders in Tanzania: importance, challenges, and strategies for implementation

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