At the joint ICPerMed and EP PerMed Conference in Prague, we discussed with Michèle Ramsay how advancements in genomics are driving personalised medicine worldwide and how Africa’s genetic diversity surpasses that of any other continent, meaning that solutions tailored for one region may not be applicable to others.
Short Version (1m46s)
Long Interview (4m57s)
Michèle Ramsay is the Director of the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) and a Professor of Human Genetics. She is also the South African Research Chair in Genomics and Bioinformatics of African Populations at the University of the Witwatersrand. In our short version of the interview, she discusses the transformative potential of personalised medicine, particularly in addressing diseases like sickle cell disease and promoting healthy aging. Michèle emphasises the disparity in access to advanced medical treatments between rural African populations and those in more developed regions.
In the longer video interview, Michèle reflects on over three decades of work focused on the genetics of haematological disorders, particularly within African populations. She discusses the evolution from a time before the human genome had been mapped to the present day, when we have a highly detailed and annotated genome. She emphasises how this advancement is driving personalised medicine worldwide and highlights the need to capture the genetic variability within African populations. The genetic diversity of Africa surpasses that of any other continent, making it clear that solutions tailored for one region (e.g. Southern Africa) may not be applicable to others (e.g. West, East or North Africa).
Read more about the joint ICPerMed & EP PerMed Conference here, where you can also watch all the other interviews and access the slides and recordings.