Chester Wayne Brown

Over the past 2 decades I have been exploring the mechanisms by which genes either cause or influence human disease. Our technologies have now reached a point that these questions can be addressed directly in patients. This gives us the best chance to find answers that will lead to better tools to make early diagnoses and perhaps better treatments for HIV, tuberculosis and many other diseases. CAfGEN seeks to do both of these things through our research projects, while simultaneously empowering scientists in Africa to carry out these and related studies on their own populations now and well into the future. Achieving these goals will require rigorous training experiences, developing educational programs in genomics in African universities, and providing the necessary technologies and infrastructure in Africa to sustain independent, large scale genomics research projects. Because of the rich genetic diversity of the peoples of Africa and the overwhelming burden of disease, particularly in children, African populations have both the most to contribute and the most to gain from our understanding of the genetic basis of human disease.

January 2014