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. 2023 Feb 23;19(2):e1010848.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010848. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Infrastructure for bioinformatics applications in Tanzania: Lessons from the Sickle Cell Programme

Liberata A Mwita  1 , William F Mawalla  2 , Frank R Mtiiye  2 , Daniel Kandonga  2 , Jill Kent  2 , Julie Makani  2 , Raphael Z Sangeda  1
Affiliations

Infrastructure for bioinformatics applications in Tanzania: Lessons from the Sickle Cell Programme

Liberata A Mwita et al. PLoS Comput Biol. .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common genetic disorder in Africa. Some ongoing work in SCD research includes the analysis and comparisons of variation in phenotypic presentations and disease outcomes with the genotypic signatures. This has contributed to the observed growth of molecular and genetic data in SCD. However, while the "omics" data continues to pile, the capacity to interpret and turn the genetic findings into clinical practice is still underdeveloped, especially in the developing region. Building bioinformatics infrastructure and capacity in the region is key to bridging the gap. This paper seeks to illustrate how the Sickle Cell Programme (SCP) at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania, modeled the integration of infrastructure for bioinformatics and clinical research while running day-to-day clinical care for SCD in Tanzania.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. SCP service integration model: The SCP has a central office that coordinates all the program’s activities.
The center has 3 key sections; the Clinical and Research unit, the Data and Biorepository unit, and the Advocacy and Education unit. The center supports and coordinates the activities of the sickle cell clinics across the regional hospitals, and all the clinics are linked with the center’s servers using ICT systems, enabling online data collection and communication.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Data flow from satellite sickle cell clinics to the data and biorepository section.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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