Current Active Projects
Explore our innovative projects that drive impactful change in health and science across Africa.
Projects
What we are currently working on
Explore our innovative research initiatives and collaborations.
SPARK Africa Open Lab
Target identification and screening platform for research.
GenoHT Development
Genomic solutions for hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
IgY Technology Transfer
Antiviral prophylaxis using egg-produced IgY technology.
SPARK Africa Open Lab
Establishment of a whole-cell screening and target identification platform for Drug Discovery Applications
SPARK Africa was established with the goal of building a local ecosystem of African scientists dedicated to directly addressing the continent's health challenges. AiBST's mission is to develop a robust biomedical R&D ecosystem, focusing on novel diagnostics, therapeutics, and prevention strategies that will accelerate genomic and pharmaceutical medicine capabilities, ultimately transforming the standard of care in Africa. Therefore, the SPARK Afrika OpenLab at AiBST will feature industry-standard research units, including a cell culture and screening platform. Specifically, we will first of all culture the simple parasite Trypanosoma brucei and conducting assay development to stabilize the necessary conditions for successful antitrypanosomal screening and set the standard operating procedures (SOP). In the long term, other disease models, particularly those involved in communicable and non-communicable diseases, could also be cultured. Access to this platform will enable one of the initial steps in the drug discovery process, which is hit identification, using the phenotypic or whole-cell approach
GenoHT
Development of a genomic biomarker array for hypertension & pre-eclampsia risk and treatment response
Differences in hypertension, preeclampsia, and hypertension management in people of African descent are well-documented issues that are insufficiently addressed in the clinical setting. Socioeconomic, environmental, and genetic factors play a large role in this disparity. However, genetic factors are often overlooked when addressing these issues on an individual level. Some clinicians modify medication regimens to account for general trends associating racial differences in medication response, but they are insufficient in addressing the root causes of the problem1. With the tools available, a cost-effective point-of-care genetic test is well within reach and must be developed to better understand and address these differences and achieve better healthcare outcomes for all patients.
Significant disparities between people of African descent and the remainder of the population have been previously identified in the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone system, which can be used to target the genetic search. Black people tend to have higher salt sensitivity and low renin, high or low aldosterone hypertensive phenotype, which is more commonly resistant to treatment.2,3,4 Focusing on genes that regulate secondary hypertension mechanisms such as sodium retention, vasoconstriction, and mineralocorticoid mediation as well as pharmacogenetics, a pointed genetic panel can be developed to address this disparity.The genetic test proposed is a low-cost panel, that evaluates the effect of 120 polymorphisms spread across more than 20 genes which are expressed at a higher frequency in people of African descent compared to the remainder of the population.
The test will be used to screen hypertensive and preeclamptic individuals in clinics in Africa and the United States for polymorphisms that may predispose them to hypertension, or make them resistant or partially resistant to different classes of hypertension management medication. The goal of this test is to lower the cost of treatment, further understand the mechanisms contributing to hypertension and resistance to antihypertensive treatments, and research the population dynamics and possible evolutionary causes of these polymorphisms.The GenoHT array will be designed on the Thermofisher Open Array format and run on the QuatiStudio RT-PCR platform. Analytcial validation of specificity, accuracy, detection limit will be carried out to ensure reliability of the test. Clinical validation will then be done through a multi-centre study involving the screening of hypertensive and preeclamptic individual in clinics in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria and the USA.
Development of a genomic biomarker array for hypertension & pre-eclampsia risk and treatment response
Differences in hypertension, preeclampsia, and hypertension management in people of African descent are well-documented issues that are insufficiently addressed in the clinical setting. Socioeconomic, environmental, and genetic factors play a large role in this disparity. However, genetic factors are often overlooked when addressing these issues on an individual level. Some clinicians modify medication regimens to account for general trends associating racial differences in medication response, but they are insufficient in addressing the root causes of the problem1. With the tools available, a cost-effective point-of-care genetic test is well within reach and must be developed to better understand and address these differences and achieve better healthcare outcomes for all patients.
Significant disparities between people of African descent and the remainder of the population have been previously identified in the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone system, which can be used to target the genetic search. Black people tend to have higher salt sensitivity and low renin, high or low aldosterone hypertensive phenotype, which is more commonly resistant to treatment.2,3,4 Focusing on genes that regulate secondary hypertension mechanisms such as sodium retention, vasoconstriction, and mineralocorticoid mediation as well as pharmacogenetics, a pointed genetic panel can be developed to address this disparity.
The genetic test proposed is a low-cost panel, that evaluates the effect of 120 polymorphisms spread across more than 20 genes which are expressed at a higher frequency in people of African descent compared to the remainder of the population. The test will be used to screen hypertensive and preeclamptic individuals in clinics in Africa and the United States for polymorphisms that may predispose them to hypertension, or make them resistant or partially resistant to different classes of hypertension management medication. The goal of this test is to lower the cost of treatment, further understand the mechanisms contributing to hypertension and resistance to antihypertensive treatments, and research the population dynamics and possible evolutionary causes of these polymorphisms.
The GenoHT array will be designed on the Thermofisher Open Array format and run on the QuatiStudio RT-PCR platform. Analytcial validation of specificity, accuracy, detection limit will be carried out to ensure reliability of the test. Clinical validation will then be done through a multi-centre study involving the screening of hypertensive and preeclamptic individual in clinics in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria and the USA.
IgY Technology Transfer
IgY Antiviral Prophylaxis Project
In March 2023, SPARK Stanford and AiBST partnered to launch SPARK Africa to promote translational science among academicians at African institutions. At the meeting Prof. Daria Mochly-Rosen presented a talk on ‘Egg-derived Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin Y (IgY) with broad variant activity as intranasal prophylaxis against COVID-19 as an affordable IgY-based antiviral prophylaxis for resource-limited settings to address epidemic and pandemic risks (Chen et al., 2022).The presentation emphatically demonstrated the power of the SPARK model of ‘designing with the end in mind’. This captured the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education in Zimbabwe who was the guest of honour at the conference who immediately asked AiBST and Spark at Standford to present a model of collaboration that would enable transfer of this technology to Zimbabwe. To therefore show intend and commitment, this project aimed at producing a prototype, as evidence of potential and skill. In terms of resources, SPARK-Stanford has already produced and evaluated the Anti – S1 RBD IgY upto phase 1.This experience will be key as we implement the antibody production process. In addition, SPARK-Stanford has endotoxin-free recombinant SARS-CoV2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is readily available upon request at a fee, to start the immunization of the hens for antibody production. Facilities for immunizing the hens with RBD antigen will be secured from the University of Zimbabwe animal facility, under the UZ-AiBST collaboration agreement already in effect. AiBST laboratories in Zimbabwe has most of the key equipment and reagents ready for the isolation and purification of the IgY.
IgY Antiviral Prophylaxis Project
In March 2023, SPARK Stanford and AiBST partnered to launch SPARK Africa to promote translational science among academicians at African institutions. At the meeting Prof. Daria Mochly-Rosen presented a talk on ‘Egg-derived Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin Y (IgY) with broad variant activity as intranasal prophylaxis against COVID-19 as an affordable IgY-based antiviral prophylaxis for resource-limited settings to address epidemic and pandemic risks (Chen et al., 2022).
The presentation emphatically demonstrated the power of the SPARK model of ‘designing with the end in mind’. This captured the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education in Zimbabwe who was the guest of honour at the conference who immediately asked AiBST and Spark at Standford to present a model of collaboration that would enable transfer of this technology to Zimbabwe. To therefore show intend and commitment, this project aimed at producing a prototype, as evidence of potential and skill. In terms of resources, SPARK-Stanford has already produced and evaluated the Anti – S1 RBD IgY upto phase 1.
This experience will be key as we implement the antibody production process. In addition, SPARK-Stanford has endotoxin-free recombinant SARS-CoV2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is readily available upon request at a fee, to start the immunization of the hens for antibody production. Facilities for immunizing the hens with RBD antigen will be secured from the University of Zimbabwe animal facility, under the UZ-AiBST collaboration agreement already in effect. AiBST laboratories in Zimbabwe has most of the key equipment and reagents ready for the isolation and purification of the IgY.