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The Rhodes University Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi) recently welcomed the Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland, Mr Marino Cuenat, and Programme Officer for Science and Technology, Ms Kgomotso Austin, to campus. Their visit was focused on discussing existing collaborations and exploring future partnerships with Switzerland.

Over the years, RUBi has been the recipient of grants from Swiss-affiliated organisations, including the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). More recently, Professor Ozlem Tastan Bishop, Director of RUBi, secured a pharmacogenomics grant as part of the Project Africa GRADIENT. This project is funded by Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) and managed by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). Pharmacogenomics, the study of how drug-metabolising enzymes affect an individual's response to drugs, is especially significant in Africa. The continent is home to some of the world's most genetically diverse populations, yet many drugs have not been tested on African populations.

RUBi is also a core partner of the Cluster of Research Excellence in Genomics for Health in Africa (CoRE-GHA) Consortium, an initiative of the Africa-Europe CoRE project established by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) and The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities (The Guild). Under CoRE-GHA, Prof Tastan Bishop collaborates closely with Professor Carlo Largiadèr, Vice Director of the Bern Center for Precision Medicine (BCPM), and Professor Carmen Faso, Head of the Institute of Cell Biology.

During their visit, Mr Cuenat and Ms Austin engaged with postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows involved in pharmacogenomics research. They also met with long-standing RUBi collaborators, Professor Kevin Lobb from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Heinrich Hoppe from the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics. Impressed by the quality of the research, Mr Cuenat and Ms Austin noted that this was their first experience in a bioinformatics laboratory. Prof Tastan Bishop and Mr Cuenat also discussed potential future collaborations and funding opportunities for student exchanges between RUBi and Swiss partners.