ICPerMed has awarded the ‘Best Practice Example in Personalised Medicine’ label to the AIBST/iPROTECTA Model. The African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) is a leading institution advancing pharmacogenomics (PGx) and precision medicine in Africa, with a strong focus on generating clinically actionable, African-relevant genomic data. As a founding and active member of the African Pharmacogenomics Network, AiBST contributes to continent-wide efforts to understand genetic determinants of drug response and to make training resources widely accessible.
To promote clinical implementation of pharmacogenetics, AiBST leads the programme iPROTECTA (Implementation of Pharmacogenetics Testing for Effective Care and Treatment in Africa). Through this initiative, clinical PGx studies have been conducted across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria. These include pharmacogenetics of opioids (codeine and tramadol) for pain management in sickle cell disease in Nigeria, tacrolimus use in organ transplant patients in Kenya, and pharmacogenomics of gastrointestinal cancers treatment with 5-fluorouracil and capecitabine in Zimbabwe. These efforts demonstrate the commitment of AiBST to addressing priority health challenges through precision medicine approaches tailored to African populations.