Comparative studies of haematological abnormalities between Africa and Europe

This comparative work is changing long-held models concerning the geographical distribution of disease. It is also enhancing our understanding of the changes that happen in the body before disease is evident. 

Precancerous conditions

The conditions we are concentrating on include:

• monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL),
• age-related clonal haematopoiesis (ARCH)
• monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).

Comparative work between the UK and rural Uganda has shown a higher prevalence and earlier age-of-onset of both MBL and ARCH in sub-Saharan Africa. This difference might perhaps be as a result of more intense infectious exposures than in the UK. Work is ongoing on MGUS.

This has profound implications for our understanding of these conditions and may be particularly relevant for aging populations in Africa.

Future funding

Funding was recently secured from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($2.9M) to expand the scope of this work within the 'Genomic integrity and safety of stem-cell gene therapy in African cohorts' grant led by Dr. David Kent in Department of Biology, University of York