• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bio-repository consultant, Dr. Sue Penno visited the bio-repository at the Institute of Human Virology (IHVN) to assess I-HAB’s readiness for NIH-H3Africa phase II funding.
The bio-repository, which carries out processing, storage and shipment of biological samples, will facilitate studies on different life forms, diseases and interaction between genes and drugs on African population with the aim of understanding health and diseases affecting the continent.
During the visit to the bio-repository, Dr. Sue Penno, who has had over 25 years' experience in the John Hopkins bio-repository, was briefed on the sample quality control and pilot activities, tissue processing and data backup systems available at the bio-repository.She supervised the facilities and processes being adopted there.
Earlier on, IHVN Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Patrick Dakum welcomed Dr. Penno stating that the visit would help the Institute "in charting our way forward in making the bio-repository better. Our goal is to take the bio-repository and make it internationally renowned," he said.
IHVN Executive Director, Laboratory Diagnostics and Research and Principal Investigator of the H3 Africa Bio-repository, Dr. Alash'le Abimiku said in the pilot phase of about two years, the standard of the bio-repository has been improved to meet international requirements. "The visit was really to see how much we have done in terms of having a dependable bio-repository that can keep high quality specimens to be used within the continent for research activities and whether we are ready for the next five years to support investigators all over Africa," she said
The Executive Director of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria's Laboratory Diagnostics and Research, Dr. Alash'le Abimiku, has received a grant from the United States of America's National Institute of Health (NIH)
To strengthen the capacity of indigenous research personnel to carry out quality and ethical researches, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) has trained research personnel on proper sample collection, processing, distribution, management and shipment.
The central bio-repository in Abuja has been awarded an NIH funded Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) biorepositories grant (Principal Investigator: Dr. Alash'le Abimiku) to upgrade its infrastructure and functions to international standard to support H3Africa investigators in Africa and eventually expand to other investigators as well.