H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre: a resource to study the interplay between genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in four sub-Saharan African countries

M Ramsay; N Crowther; E Tambo; G Agongo; V Baloyi; S Dikotope; X Gómez-Olivé; N Jaff; H Sorgho; R Wagner; C Khayeka-Wandabwa; A Choudhury; S Hazelhurst; K Kahn; Z Lombard; F Mukomana; C Soo; H Soodyall; A Wade; S Afolabi; I Agorinya; L Amenga-Etego; S A Ali; J D Bognini; R P Boua; C Debpuur; S Diallo; E Fato; A Kazienga; S Z Konkobo; P M Kouraogo; F Mashinya; L Micklesfield; S Nakanabo-Diallo; B Njamwea; E Nonterah; S Ouedraogo; V Pillay; A M Somande; P Tindana; R Twine; M Alberts; C Kyobutungi; S A Norris; A R Oduro; H Tinto; S Tollman; O Sankoh

doi:10.1017/gheg.2016.17

H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre: a resource to study the interplay between genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in four sub-Saharan African countries

Glob Health Epidemiol Genom. 2016 Nov 22:1:e20. doi: 10.1017/gheg.2016.17. eCollection 2016.

Authors

M Ramsay^{1

2}, N Crowther³, E Tambo¹, G Agongo^{1

2

4}, V Baloyi⁵, S Dikotope⁶, X Gómez-Olivé⁷, N Jaff^{3

8}, H Sorgho⁹, R Wagner⁷, C Khayeka-Wandabwa¹⁰, A Choudhury¹, S Hazelhurst^{1

11}, K Kahn^{7

12}, Z Lombard^{1

2}, F Mukomana¹, C Soo¹, H Soodyall², A Wade⁷, S Afolabi⁷, I Agorinya⁴, L Amenga-Etego⁴, S A Ali¹, J D Bognini⁹, R P Boua⁹, C Debpuur⁴, S Diallo⁹, E Fato⁴, A Kazienga⁹, S Z Konkobo⁹, P M Kouraogo⁹, F Mashinya⁶, L Micklesfield⁵, S Nakanabo-Diallo⁹, B Njamwea¹⁰, E Nonterah⁴, S Ouedraogo⁹, V Pillay^{1

2}, A M Somande⁹, P Tindana⁴, R Twine⁷, M Alberts⁶, C Kyobutungi¹⁰, S A Norris⁵, A R Oduro⁴, H Tinto⁹, S Tollman^{7

12}, O Sankoh^{8

12

13}

Affiliations

¹ Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
² Division of Human Genetics, National Health Laboratory Service and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ Department of Chemical Pathology, National Health Laboratory Service, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁴ Navrongo Health Research Centre, Navrongo, Ghana.
⁵ MRC/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁶ Department of Medical Science, Public Health and Health Promotion, School of Health Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa.
⁷ MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁸ School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
⁹ Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
¹⁰ African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹¹ School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
¹² INDEPTH Network, Accra, Ghana.
¹³ Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Njala University, Njala, Sierra Leone.

Abstract

Africa is experiencing a rapid increase in adult obesity and associated cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). The H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre was established to examine genomic and environmental factors that influence body composition, body fat distribution and CMD risk, with the aim to provide insights towards effective treatment and intervention strategies. It provides a research platform of over 10 500 participants, 40-60 years old, from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Following a process that involved community engagement, training of project staff and participant informed consent, participants were administered detailed questionnaires, anthropometric measurements were taken and biospecimens collected. This generated a wealth of demographic, health history, environmental, behavioural and biomarker data. The H3Africa SNP array will be used for genome-wide association studies. AWI-Gen is building capacity to perform large epidemiological, genomic and epigenomic studies across several African counties and strives to become a valuable resource for research collaborations in Africa.

Keywords: AWI-Gen; H3Africa; NCD; body composition; cardiometabolic disease; diabetes; disease outcome; environmental risk factors; genomic studies; health transition; hypertension; non-communicable disease in Africa; obesity; stroke.

Abstract

Grants and funding