@Toby Tremlett🔹 Updates from the Centre for Phage Biology and Therapeutics, Jos, Nigeria
Greetings from Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria!
I want to share some exciting updates on our work at the Centre for Phage Biology and Therapeutics. The Centre began with seed funding from Emergent Ventures to establish a phage bank. So far, we have set up a bank with the essential equipment needed for phage research.
Why is a phage bank essential for Nigeria and Africa?
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): The burden of AMR is overgrowing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). By 2050, it is projected that 10 million lives will be lost annually due to drug-resistant infections, with 90% of these deaths occurring in Africa and Asia. Developing new antibiotics is slow, making phage therapy a viable and urgent alternative.
Need-Driven Personalized Therapies: A robust phage bank tailored to local pathogens lays the groundwork for personalized, need-driven phage therapy. This approach ensures that treatment options are directly relevant to our region’s unique challenges.
Boosting Biotech Research: Biotechnology research is underdeveloped in Nigeria and much of Africa. Phage research provides a scalable pathway to develop biotech products and foster the creation of innovative startups.
What could additional funding enable us to achieve?
Sustainable Electricity: Secure a solar-powered solution to maintain freezer operations for phage preservation.
Training the Next Generation: Train more students in phage research. Currently, we are mentoring two Master’s students working on phages.
Expanding Our Collection: Isolate and characterize a larger library of phages targeting WHO-listed priority pathogens.
Therapeutic Readiness: Acquire facilities for phage purification to meet therapeutic-grade standards.
Operational Support: Support salaries for researchers and staff to sustain our efforts.
Upcoming Collaboration: I will soon visit Dr. Roderick Slavcev’s lab at Theraphage Bio to learn advanced technologies for using phages in vaccine design and therapeutic development. This experience will help us explore homegrown phage-based solutions to address pressing health challenges.
If you’d like to learn more or collaborate, please don’t hesitate to reach out at eennadi@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest and support in our mission to advance phage research in Africa.
@Toby Tremlett🔹 Updates from the Centre for Phage Biology and Therapeutics, Jos, Nigeria
Greetings from Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria!
I want to share some exciting updates on our work at the Centre for Phage Biology and Therapeutics. The Centre began with seed funding from Emergent Ventures to establish a phage bank. So far, we have set up a bank with the essential equipment needed for phage research.
Why is a phage bank essential for Nigeria and Africa?
Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR):
The burden of AMR is overgrowing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). By 2050, it is projected that 10 million lives will be lost annually due to drug-resistant infections, with 90% of these deaths occurring in Africa and Asia. Developing new antibiotics is slow, making phage therapy a viable and urgent alternative.
Need-Driven Personalized Therapies:
A robust phage bank tailored to local pathogens lays the groundwork for personalized, need-driven phage therapy. This approach ensures that treatment options are directly relevant to our region’s unique challenges.
Boosting Biotech Research:
Biotechnology research is underdeveloped in Nigeria and much of Africa. Phage research provides a scalable pathway to develop biotech products and foster the creation of innovative startups.
What could additional funding enable us to achieve?
Sustainable Electricity:
Secure a solar-powered solution to maintain freezer operations for phage preservation.
Training the Next Generation:
Train more students in phage research. Currently, we are mentoring two Master’s students working on phages.
Expanding Our Collection:
Isolate and characterize a larger library of phages targeting WHO-listed priority pathogens.
Therapeutic Readiness:
Acquire facilities for phage purification to meet therapeutic-grade standards.
Operational Support:
Support salaries for researchers and staff to sustain our efforts.
Upcoming Collaboration:
I will soon visit Dr. Roderick Slavcev’s lab at Theraphage Bio to learn advanced technologies for using phages in vaccine design and therapeutic development. This experience will help us explore homegrown phage-based solutions to address pressing health challenges.
If you’d like to learn more or collaborate, please don’t hesitate to reach out at eennadi@gmail.com.
Thank you for your interest and support in our mission to advance phage research in Africa.