SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) is pleased to announce that the African Union Commission, on behalf of the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is receiving a $1.4 million donation of our sequencing systems and related consumables intended to expand SARS-CoV-2 sequencing capabilities and capacity in ten African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.
Public Health institutions in Africa have been implementing Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) based surveillance to drive a deeper understanding of endemic diseases and outbreaks. SARS-CoV-2 positive samples are currently being sequenced by only a few African institutions to characterize circulating strains. Africa CDC is now expanding the network of institutions with NGS capabilities to empower additional countries to rapidly characterize outbreak samples, without the need to ship samples across borders.
“It is critical to provide access to NGS technology throughout the world to drive a global response that will be effective in supporting SARS-CoV-2 control efforts, and ultimately, help improve human health,” said Illumina’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Phil Febbo. “This donation enables the Africa CDC to deeply understand the circulating virus throughout the continent, providing equitable access to important technology that can be used to help protect the health of the African population. With this outbreak, it has become clear that enabling local or regional proactive surveillance will benefit those immediately at risk as well as all of us around the globe.”
“Utilisation of NGS with COVID-19 pandemic by African institutions will facilitate the rapid and accurate identification of transmission pathways within and between populations and provide information on the probable source,” said Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the Deputy Director of Africa CDC. “Such tools will ensure that African countries have robust and precise methods for identifying, comparing, and classifying pathogenic organisms in a timely manner. This donation will support Africa CDC’s program to strengthen NGS capacity within public health institutions on the African continent to better respond to current and future disease threats.”
Christian Happi, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics in the Department of Biological Sciences, and the Director of the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), at Redeemer University in Nigeria, said: “Genomics represents the future of infectious disease control and treatment. The new reagents and equipment from Illumina are very timely. The ACEGID, together with other African institutions, has been mandated by the Africa CDC to contribute to the effort of sequencing coronavirus genomes across the continent to track the spread of the virus and its mutations. In order to do this, we need a lot of resources so we can not only support public health, but also contribute to international science and knowledge around this novel pathogen.”
“NGS enables countries to understand how the virus is introduced and spread, as well as perform contact tracing, design control measures, and monitor how the virus is evolving in ways that may affect pathogenicity, or the performance of diagnostics or therapies,” said Dr. Yenew Kebede head of the Division of Laboratory Systems and Networks at Africa CDC. By comparing the genomes of viral strains from different SARS-CoV-2 samples, public health officials can understand how the virus is moving through the population. This information can, in turn, direct mitigation and control measures, and eventually support efforts to reopen borders for transport and travel, once the outbreak subsides.
Paula Dowdy, General Manager, SVP, Illumina EMEA, said: “At Illumina, we believe that the 1.3 billion people in Africa deserve access to the best quality of life that can be delivered through genomics. We are very pleased to be able to support this network of laboratories with donations of essential equipment and reagents for the important work of the Africa CDC against coronavirus. Moreover, we value our strong relationships with these institutes not just at the time of this pandemic, but also more broadly as Africa continues to face other infectious disease epidemics.”
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and follow @illumina.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including our expectations and beliefs regarding future conduct and growth of our business and the markets in which we operate. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are: (i) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to our business; (ii) challenges inherent in developing, and launching new products and services; (iii) the utility of such products and services; and (iv) the speed and scale of their adoption by customers, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts’ expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.
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