iPDGC-Africa | Investigating Genetics of Parkinson's in Africa

We are iPDGC Africa.

A collaborative effort to increase the scientific understanding of Parkinson's disease in Africans.

About the consortium

The consortium is a collaboration between academic institutions in 12 African countries: Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, UCL Institute of Neurology (UK) and the National Institutes of Health (US).

Our Mission

The iPDGC Africa mission is to improve the scientific understanding of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions in Africans through:

Education

& training

Clinical

& genetic research

Public

Involvement

We are part of the International Parkinson's Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC), a global collaboration devoted to gathering and analysing Parkinson's disease genetic data.

IPDGC

IPDGC - Africa

IPDGC - Asia

LARGE - PD

Lux GIANT

Why is this initiative important?

The African continent is made up of 58 countries, together making up 17% of the world’s population (as of 2016). By 2050, this percentage is expected to rise to 26%. Along with rapid population growth there is a concurrent rise in reported cases of Parkinson's disease.

Africa has a diverse population, with the highest phenotypic and genetic variation among all populations with more than 2000 distinct ethno-linguistic groups. There are currently very little genetic studies available on African populations.

Parkinson's disease patients from an African background are unlikely to benefit from current genetic discoveries since most have originated from almost exclusively white cohorts. Studying the clinical and genetic diversity of Parkinon's disease in Africa will ensure equality and equity and potentially enhance genetic discoveries in all nations.

Image Credit: Adapted from Sirugo et al. 2019, Cell