Michèle Ramsay (PhD) is director of the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB), Professor in Human Genetics and South African Research Chair in Genomics and Bioinformatics of African Populations at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is immediate past-president of the African Society of Human Genetics and the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, as well as co-chair of the International Hundred Thousand+ Cohorts Consortium (IHCC). She collaborates with all the senior scientists at the SBIMB on projects related to genetic associations with complex diseases (mostly related to cardiometabolic diseases and traits), pharmacogenomics and population genetics.
Her research centres around a single question: What is the role of genetics and other risk factors in making some people more susceptible to developing disease than others? The research team explores genetic variation in African populations and seeks to understand gene-gene and gene-environment interactions that influence disease risk. She feels strongly that extensive collaboration, large datasets and novel analysis techniques are the catalysts for knowledge to fuel precision medicine approaches (especially with a focus on African populations) and the emergence of novel insights into the demographic history of anatomically modern humans and evolutionary forces that have shaped the genetic landscape and the health of extant populations. Michele has taught, supervised and mentored human geneticists in Africa, and capacity development and strengthening is a central theme underpinning her work.
Scott Hazelhurst
Scott Hazelhurst is Professor of Bioinformatics in the School of Electrical & Information Engineering and Senior Scientist at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of the Witwatersrand. He received his BScHons and MSc from Wits and his PhD from the University of British Columbia. His research areas include bioinformatics and high performance computing. He is PI of the MADIVA Research Hub (Multi-morbidity Action through Data Insights and Visualisation for Africa), a research hub of the NIH’s Data Science Initiative for Health Innovation in Africa. MADIVA is a collaboration between the SBIMB, other Wits-based groups, the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi, SAPRIN and IBM Africa. Scott collaborates on microbiome, genome-wide association studies, population genetics and pharmacogeneomics projects within the SBIMB.
Chris Mathew
Chris Mathew (PhD, FMedSci) is a Distinguished Professor in Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand and Emeritus Professor of Molecular Genetics at King’s College London. He is based at the SBIMB, where he leads the Cancer Genetics research group. His research program is focused on the discovery of the drivers of genetic susceptibility and tumour development in common cancers in people of African ancestry, particularly in breast, oesophageal and cervical cancer. His group collaborates closely with Professor Michele Ramsay and the team of statistical geneticists and bioinformaticians at the SBIMB, and with Professor Paul Ruff and colleagues in Medical Oncology at Wits.
He has also established collaborations with international institutions such as the Sanger Institute and University of Cambridge in the UK, and the National Cancer Institute in the USA, and is part of a pan-African cancer research consortium with Dr Maureen Joffe at Wits involving research groups in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Germany. His overall goal is to build a lasting research capacity in cancer genetics and genomics in South Africa, and ultimately to see the fruits of his work translated into improved early diagnosis and personalised therapy for African cancer patients. His non-academic interests include exploring the cultures and wines of different countries and following the ups and downs of the English cricket team.
Collen Masimirembwa
Collen is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Witwatersrand based at the SBIMB. His research focus is in clinical pharmacogenetics and in preclinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. In clinical pharmacogenetics, his work aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing pharmacogenetics guided precision medicine. This work is also expected to uncover any as yet unknown novel African population specific genetic variation to explain observed drug responses. Currently he is conducting research on the pharmacogenetics of tamoxifen in breast cancer treatment in women of African ancestry which is funded by SAMRC and NIH. This project is being done in collaboration with Dr Maureen Joffe’s group and involves one PhD student, Shingirai Chiwambutsa. With Prof Michele Ramsay, he is also working on the pharmacogenetics of antihypertensives in black South Africans. This project is funded by SAMRC and involves a PhD student, Kuda Nyamupa. Collen is also working on the pharmacogenomics of anti-TB drug induced liver injury together with Profs Neil Martinson and Ananyo Choudhury. This project is jointly funded by Novartis and GSK trough SAMRC and plans to recruit a PhD student to the project.
In the field of preclinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, Collen is working with Prof Michele Ramsay, Drs June Fabian, and Jerome Loveland to establish an African liver tissue repository to support drug discovery research that is inclusive of people of African ancestry. Collen’s non-academic interests include his love for martial arts. He has been training Karate for over 30 years and is a Third Dan karate instructor (Sensei).
Ananyo Choudhury
Ananyo Choudhury is a Reader at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, His research interest areas are population genomics and genomics of complex traits. He has contributed to some of the landmark African genomic initiatives such as the H3Africa genotyping array design, the H3Africa Whole Genome Sequence Study, and the Southern African Human Genome Program. He co-leads several components of the AWI-Gen study nested under the H3Africa consortium and co-chairs the Genome Analysis Working Group of the consortium. He is one of the PIs for the NIH-funded AGenDA consortium study aimed at generating the largest and most diverse high-coverage whole-genome sequence dataset from Africa to date.
Ananyo is also working on the pharmacogenomics of anti-TB drug-induced liver injury together with Profs Neil Martinson and Prof Collen Masirembwa This project is jointly funded by Novartis and GSK through SAMRC. He obtained his basic training in Zoology from the University of Kalyani and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the University of Calcutta, India.
As a member of the AWI-Gen study team, Dhriti Sengupta has been co-leading several population genetics and genetic association studies based in this cohort. She has worked closely with the H3Africa Bioinformatics network and Genome Analysis Working Groups on several cross-consortium projects. Her research is aimed at providing a more comprehensive understanding of population history using genomic data as well as uncovering how different deep ancestries impact the genetic architecture of complex traits in African populations. She is also involved in mentoring master’s and PhD students. Dhriti has a PhD in Bioinformatics from Calcutta University, India.
Dr Jean-Tristan Brandenburg has a broad range of interests in the research field of molecular bioscience and human genomics. His research is focused on how to use bioinformatics to resolve genetics problems and analyses of genetics data. His interest and focus have varied over the years and range from analysis of diversity and population genetics in different species as humans, fungi or maize (corn) using various types of data such as whole genome sequencing; detection of rare mutation using whole genome sequencing; epidemiological analysis of kidney in Africa; genetic association of genotype/phenotype using high coverage data with a focus on cardiovascular diseases and cancer genetics
Prof. Almut Nebel
Almut Nebel is a Professor of Molecular Medicine within the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology at Kiel University in Germany. She has a PhD in Molecular Biology obtained from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Her main interests are in disease and population genetics as well as in ancient DNA analysis. She spent eight years at various research institutions, including Dunedin, Jerusalem, and at Wits in Johannesburg. After her return to Germany in 2003, she continued her career as a Senior Scientist at Kiel University where she was appointed as professor in 2008. In her current research, she primarily investigates the molecular basis of human longevity and the role of genetic variation in health and disease, with an emphasis on host-pathogen and human diet co-evolution processes. She collaborates with scientists at the SBIMB
Dr Palwende Boua
Dr Boua is a Researcher in Human Genetics at the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (CRUN), IRSS-DRCO, Burkina Faso. He also holds a Senior Researcher position (Honorary) at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Biosciences (SBIMB), University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has skills on statistical genetics, genomics and bioinformatics and is proficient in phenotype and genome data QC, genome-wide association study, polygenic risk score, gene-environment interaction analyses, and downstream in silico functional analyses. He has interest in GWAS data, in the population genetics studies, in nutrition-related disorders, in the data analysis of smoking and alcohol consumption and body composition data in African populations. He is experienced in cardiometabolic phenotype and genetics, and has done extensive work in genetics of atherosclerosis in African.
His aim is to contribute in statistical genetics methodological approach, analysis and precision public health translation/impact. After returning in Burkina Faso following the completion of his PhD, he has initiated multiple training in genomics and bioinformatics in Burkina Faso with the support of H3ABioNET. He has been an active member of the H3Africa Consortium, CHARGE Gene-Lifestyle Interaction Consortium, PRIMED Consortium (CARDINAL Study) and others. Dr Boua attracted multiple research grants, on which he is/has been Principal Investigator on six of them.
Dr Abram Kamiza
Dr Abram Kamiza research interest is to identify environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors associated with cancer development. Currently, he is working to identify genetic factors associated with cervical cancer in black South African women using genome-wide approaches. He also aims to identify lifestyle factors causally associated with cervical cancer. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Malawi, and his MSc and PhD degrees in Genetic Epidemiology at Taipei Medical University in Taiwan.
Dr Ovokeraye Oduaran
Dr Ovokeraye Oduaran is an honorary research fellow at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She has taken the role of being a chair of the H3Africa’s Microbiome Task Force. Her research broadly focuses on the role of the gut microbiome in cardiometabolic diseases on the African continent. She believes that in-depth knowledge of the microbiome will greatly inform the current understanding of disease etiology.
Dr Andrew May
Dr Andrew is a medical scientist by training with expertise in lab-based, bioinformatics and psychological research, particularly in an African context. His research interests are human development and behaviour, from genetic, psychological and evolutionary perspectives. His research also focuses on exploring precision medicine for the future and how genetics might affect response to COVIGen-SA Host genomics of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes 雷速体育_雷速体育直播) in African populations.
Dr Carl Wenlong Chen
(Dr) Wenlong Carl Chen is a Medical Scientist and Researcher joint appointed at the South African National Cancer Registry (NCR), Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) and the Strengthening Oncology Services Research Unit (SOSRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. He is responsible for the management of the clinical and laboratory research portfolios nested within the NCR and SOSRU. Some of the flagship studies include: the Johannesburg Cancer Study (JCS), the Evolving Risk Factors for Cancers in African Populations study (ERICA-SA), the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) funded Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate study (MADCaP), the NIH funded South African Breast Cancer and HIV outcomes study (SABCHO) and the Predicting Progression of Developing Myeloma in a High-Risk Screened Population study. His main research interests lie in studying the genetic aetiologies and epidemiology of common African cancers, with a particular focus on African oesophageal cancer. He graduated with a PhD in Human Genetics in 2022 from the University of the Witwatersrand, under the supervision of Prof Christopher Mathew. In his spare time, Carl is a triathlon enthusiast.
Dr Tinashe Chikowore
Tinashe is currently a Wellcome Trust International training fellow at the Witwatersrand University (2019-23). His research interests are evaluating the interaction of genetics and lifestyle factors that include socio-economic status, diet, exercise, sleep and alcohol intake in complex disease traits such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension in people of African ancestry (AWI-Gen and H3Africa CVD Working group) He has interests in the application of polygenic risk scores in African populations (CARDINAL). He is a part of the international collaborations which include the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Precision Medicine Initiative.
Research interest: Data Science applications in the clinical setting
Research interest: Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, Microbiome
Research interest: Bioinformatics, Mental Health Genomics
Research interest: Pharmacogenomics and Bioinformatics
Research interest: Bioinformatics
Research interest: Big data, genomics and bioinformatics
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雷速体育_雷速体育直播 name |
Degree |
Supervision |
Project Title |
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1. Tabitha Osler |
PhD |
C. Mathew J-T. Brandenburg CW. Chen M. Urban |
Prevalence and consequences of variants in genes associated with breast cancer in black South African women |
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2. Shingirai Chiwambutsa |
PhD |
C. Masimirembwa P. Ruff |
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacogenetics modeling and simulation of tamoxifen in African breast cancer women to guide individualized treatment |
|
3. Kudakwashe Nyamupangedengu |
PhD |
M. Ramsay C. Masimirembwa A. May D. Twesigomwe |
The genetic impact on first line treatment to black hypertensives in South Africa |
|
4. Claudine Nkera-Gutabara |
PhD |
S. Hazelhurst R. Kerr J. Naidoo |
Snapshot of the gut microbial diversity of an urban south African population: impact of diet, lifestyle and socioeconomic status |
|
5. Merusha Naidoo |
PhD |
M. Ramsay N. Crowther N. Goolam Mahyoodeen |
Epigenetic associations with sex hormone levels and cardiometabolic disease risk factors in pre- and postmenopausal women from West Africa |
|
6. Nhlamulo Khoza |
PhD |
P. Mpangase M. Ramsay |
The purpose of the fellowship is to develop polygenic risk scores predictive of cardiometabolic multimorbidities in African populations |
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7. Natalie Smyth (Part-time) |
PhD |
M. Ramsay D. Sengupta F. Raal |
Understanding the genetic basis of high and low LDL-cholesterol levels in African populations |
|
8. Blessing Sitabule |
PhD |
H. Othman S. Hazelhurst |
Assessing Sub-Saharan African Genetic Missense Variants with Potential Implications in Cytochrome P450 Enzymes involved in Anti-malarial and Anti-TB Drug Response Using Multiscale Biomolecular Modeling |
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9. Vincent Nyangwara |
PhD |
C. Masimirembwa |
Pharmacogenomics of hepatotoxicity in the treatment of TB patients of African ancestry |
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10. Yoni Wolberg |
PhD |
Z. Lombard S. Hazelhurst |
Exome sequencing-based Copy Number Variant Analysis: A Workflow Optimizing Variant Calling |
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11. Isabel Fourie |
PhD |
J-T. Brandenburg CW. Chen C. Mathew |
Genetic susceptibility to infection with oncogenic pathogens in a cohort of African ancestry |
|
12. Phophi Mmbi |
PhD |
CW. Chen J-T. Brandenburg PT. Mpangase
|
Application of machine learning models for classification of genetic variants? |
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13. Thandeka Malinga |
PhD |
M. Ramsay D. Twesigomwe |
The genomic landscape of benzodiazepine response in a childhood status epilepticus cohort from Kano, Nigeria |
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14. Ross Booyse |
PhD |
M Ramsay D Sengupta A Choudhury |
Genetics of Cardiometabolic trait dynamics in African populations |
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15. Tumai Muzorewa |
PhD |
A. Choudhury D. Sengupta M. Ramsay |
Implementing multi-omics models for cardiometabolic disease risk prediction in African populations |
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16. Daphine Nyachowe |
PhD |
S. Hazelhurst V. Bronstein |
Understanding ‘transfer’ of data in research: A South African Health Research Perspective on the flow of data |
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17. Daniel Maina |
PhD |
S. Hazelhurst |
Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage of Community and Health-based records using Machine Learning: A Case Study for some health facilities in Kenya and South Africa |
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Shaun Aron
Phelelani Mpangase
Siyanda Madala
Rodney Tholanah
Daphine Nyachowe
Natalie Smyth
Aviwe Matandela
Tshedimoso Makhene
Jocelyn Gayenga
Furahini Tluway
Kerry Glover
Thabo Gumede
Beth Amato
Busisiwe Mthembu
Bonginkosi Mbatha
Nethezekile Nyembe