County secures funding to hire scientists, build laboratories. Other nations to get training to enhance sequencing capability

President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande, and the biotech investor of NantAfrica (a division of NantWorks), Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, visited the Stellenbosch University (SU) Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) today (19 January 2022) to view the cutting-edge facilities of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), which will provide the genomic sequencing for the development and evaluation of vaccine therapies in South Africa. CERI is to be officially launched later this year.

In Durban, South Africa, scientists led by Dr. Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) at Stellenbosch University, were conducting routine genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 from different regions when they noticed worrying variations in genomes clustered in Gauteng Province.

An Omicron investigator, a Mars explorer and an AI ethics pioneer are some of the people behind the year’s big research stories. The Nature’s 10 list explores key developments in science this year and some of the people who played important parts in these milestones. Along with their colleagues, these individuals helped to make amazing discoveries and brought attention to crucial issues.

Scientists in a cutting-edge laboratory at CERI and KRISP do part of the work. Local health workers on foot do the rest. Front Page NYTimes Sunday edition paper covering our work.

Little is known about the Omicron variant, which was first detected in Southern Africa, but the nature of its mutations and its seemingly rapid emergence have concerned governments around the world. Interview with Prof. Tulio de Oliveira at the New Yorker.

What do a seaweed farmer from Tanzania, a scientist in South Africa and a Senegalese influencer all have in common? The BBC's Malu Cursino looks back at how Kaije, Tulio de Oliveira and Khaby made their mark in 2021.

Cape Town - In December 2020, South Africa detected the Beta variant and in May 2021 the Delta variant, thanks to robust genomic surveillance. Professor Tulio De Oliveira, a renowned bioinformatician who identified the Beta variant, explains the criticality of genomic sequencing. Professor De Oliveira is the Director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) and Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) based in South Africa.

The launch of a new genomics facility, CERI, in South Africa bolsters the continent’s epidemic and pandemic public health response

Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong has partnered with local universities. He has set up the biggest genomics facility in Africa at Stellenbosch University. He also set up centres of excellence at the universities to research cancer, Covid-19, HIV/AIDS and TB.

SA born billionaire and former local physician Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong has announced an investment of R3 billion to advance vaccine research.

South African-born biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong’s NantWorks has agreed to invest in a manufacturing plant and complex in the country’s Western Cape and aims to produce COVID-19 and cancer vaccines.

CERI: Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation to expand pathogen surveillance capability in Africa in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the guest of honour today, Thursday, 23 September 2021, at an announcement by Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder of the multinational conglomerate, NantWorks LLC, of an initiative ambitious initiative to build capacity for advanced health care in Africa.

As United States reveals its plan to offer an extra dose of COVID-19 vaccine, equity and scientific questions abound

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University is seeking to appoint two molecular biologists with great potential and ambition to become leading scientists. These two positions will work with some of the best pathogen and bioinformatics genomics program in the world, which is currently focused on the COVID-19 response. These full-time contract positions are offered for a period of up to three years.

KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) at UKZN is seeking to appoint 2 Bioinformaticians with great potential and ambition to become leading scientists. Postdoctoral fellows will support researchers with genomic data management and analysis. These full-time contract positions are offered for a period of 3 years and will be affiliated to the School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences in the College of Health Sciences.

The School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University is seeking to appoint two Bioinformaticians with great potential and ambition to become leading scientists. These two positions will work with some of the best pathogen and bioinformatics genomics program in the world, which is currently focused on the COVID-19 response. These full-time positions are offered for a period of up to three years.

Come work with one of the best pathogen research programs in the world, which is currently focused on the COVID-19 response. Twp positions at KRISP at UKZN & Four at Stellenbosch University.

A senior scientist from the Instituto Nacional de Saude (INS) de Mozambique spent two weeks at KRISP labs at UKZN to receive training generating whole genomes of SARS-CoV-2.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI have started a Webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data in Africa.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI have started a Webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data in Africa.

As the world less affluent countries scramble for COVID-19 vaccine and contend with deadly surges of the disease, researchers in South Africa have just documented an ominous development: the collision of the pandemic with HIV/AIDS.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI present a webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. Webinar: How to make publication-ready professional-looking figures Part II.

From Alpha to Omega, the labelling system aims to avoid confusion and stigmatization. To quell such confusion and avoid geographical stigmas, everyone should now just call it Beta according to a naming scheme announced on 31 May by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva and described in a forthcoming article in Nature Microbiology.

What is better than music to simplify and spread the facts on a pandemic clouded by so much misinformation? Watch a video series between musicians and scientists aimed at decrease vaccine hesitancy.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI present a webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. Webinar: NGS genome assembly and quality control.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI present a webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. Webinar: Ancestral state reconstruction and import/export analysis of viral lineages.

The Africa Union and Africa CDC, in partnership with KRISP, H3AbioNet, ACEGID and SANBI present a webinar series to capacitate African researchers on the generation and analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomic data. Webinar: How to make publication-ready professional-looking figures Part I.

While richer places, such as the U.S., hope to vaccinate most of their citizens within months, poorer countries, like Kenya, expect to reach just small fractions of their populations in that time.