Leon Mutesa | |
---|---|
Born | Leon Mutesa Rwanda |
Nationality | Rwandan |
Alma mater | University of Rwanda University of Liège |
Awards | African Prize for Lifetime Contribution in human genetics by HUGO |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Human Genetics |
Institutions | University of Rwanda, CHUK and RBC |
Leon Mutesa is a Rwandan human geneticist, who serves as Director of Centre for Human Genetics that he created in 2006 at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences-University of Rwanda. [1] [2] Leon has led various research groups working on different research program including infectious diseases (HIV, Malaria, NTDs), genomics and genetics, as well as epigenetics. [3] He is a board member of International Vaccine Institute. [4] Leon serves as president of the Rwanda Down Syndrome Organization which supports people with Down syndrome in Rwanda. [5] As a geneticist, during COVID-19 Leon was a member of COVID-19 task force in Rwanda, he led the laboratory testing under WHO consultancy. [6] [7] In April 2024, he was awarded the African Prize for Lifetime Contribution in human genetics by HUGO-Human Genome Organization. [8]
Leon attended University of Rwanda, where he graduated with bachelor's degree in Human Biology in 1998. Subsequently, Leon continued his enrolment at the institution to pursue a medical and surgical degree, he graduated with Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2003. Since 2009, Leon holds a PhD degree in Human Genetics from University of Liège, Belgium. [9]
After graduating with Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, in 2004, Leon started working at University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences as an assistant lecturer. In 2006, he founded the Centre for Human Genetics at the institution and became its director. In 2010, he became senior lecturer. In 2015, Leon rose to associate Professor of Human Genetics. [10] He has been a visiting professor of Human Genetics at various institutions, including University of Liège in Belgium, Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal, and he was promoted to the Professor title in 2019. [11] He has supervised/mentored over 90 MSc, MMed, PhD, and Post-Doc fellows from Rwanda and overseas universities. [12]
Between 2009 and 2011, Leon was a Director of the Department of Clinical Biology at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), the largest referral hospital in Rwanda. Subsequently, he was appointed by the government of Rwanda as a head of Medical Research Division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, a Rwanda's national health implementation agency established by Ministry of Health. His work included coordinating health related research activities in all national medical institutions, he served until 2013. [13] Between 2013 and 2021, Leon worked with the Rwanda National Police as consultant for the implementation of the Kigali Forensic Science Laboratory, a laboratory that supports the justice system with evidence based on science and technology for use in courts of laws and other justice bodies in Rwanda. [14] [9]
In 2009, Leon joined the African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) and created the Rwandan Society of Human Genetics (RSHG) in 2016 which he serves as its president. In 2018, Leon led the team which organized and hosted the joint 11th Conference of AfSHG, 1st Conference of RSHG and 12th H3Africa Consortium Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. [15] Leon has been serving as Editor-in-Chief for Rwanda Medical Journal and Rwanda Public Health Bulletin, since 2010 and 2019 respectively. [16] [17]
In 2014, Leon advocated for health insurance coverage for genetic examination for patients in Rwanda and currently, most health insurances cover the karyotype exam, cytogenetic and molecular tests. [18] In 2016, Leon with Edwige Musabe created the Rwanda Down Syndrome Organization which trains family members and teachers in Rwanda to support the development of children with Down syndrome, in 2021 it was following over 1,000 patients, Leon serves as president of the organization since its founding. [3] [19]
As a geneticist, during COVID-19, Leon was among the Rwanda government’s COVID-19 task force where he was coordinating COVID-19 laboratory testing under WHO consultancy. [20] [21] Leon and his research group implemented various research projects aiming at building human capacity for SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostic and management in Rwanda. [22] They discovered a COVID-19 pooling testing strategy which shows a cost-saving approach for better use of SARS-CoV-2 limited testing resources and they published a Nature’s paper on their discovery. [23] [24] [25]
Leon has pioneered new development and implementation of a reference center for medical genetics in Rwanda, which is the only one in the East African Region. [26] In 2021, Leon led 2 major clinical trials one on Malaria, a multi-Centre Phase III randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial, a study by the Development of Triple Artemisinin Combination Therapies (DeTACT); and another one on COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate, a Phase I/IIa Trials funded by Oxford and International Vaccine Institute, respectively. [27] [1] Between 2014 and 2018, Leon contributed to multiple research projects aiming to Malaria transmission reduction and Malaria elimination in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, a highly affected area in the country. [28] [29]
Between July 2004 and July 2006, Leon led a study about neonatal screening for sickle cell disease in Central Africa where 1825 newborn with a new ELISA-test from Burundi, Rwanda and the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo were examined. [30] Since 2007, Leon has conducted various studies on Down Syndrome particularly in Africa. [31] [32]
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates. Human malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin 10 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected Anopheles mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria.
Genetic counseling is the process of investigating individuals and families affected by or at risk of genetic disorders to help them understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. This field is considered necessary for the implementation of genomic medicine. The process integrates:
EcoHealth Alliance is an US-based non-governmental organization with a stated mission of protecting people, animals, and the environment from emerging infectious diseases. The nonprofit focuses on research aimed at preventing pandemics and promoting conservation in hotspot regions worldwide.
Medical genetics is the branch of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Medical genetics differs from human genetics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, while medical genetics refers to the application of genetics to medical care. For example, research on the causes and inheritance of genetic disorders would be considered within both human genetics and medical genetics, while the diagnosis, management, and counselling people with genetic disorders would be considered part of medical genetics.
James Van Gundia Neel was an American geneticist who played a key role in the development of human genetics as a field of research in the United States. He made important contributions to the emergence of genetic epidemiology and pursued an understanding of the influence of environment on genes. In his early work, he studied sickle-cell disease and thalassemia conducted research on the effects of radiation on survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing.
Himla (Himladevi) Soodyall is a South African geneticist involved in finding some of the oldest human genetic lines, mainly focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. Her work on DNA has pointed to southern Africa as the most likely geographic region of origin of the human species.
Agnes Binagwaho is a Rwandan Politician, pediatrician, co-founder and the former vice chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity (2017-2022). In 1996, she returned to Rwanda where she provided clinical care in the public sector as well as held many positions including the position of Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health of Rwanda from October 2008 until May 2011 and Minister of Health from May 2011 until July 2016. She has been a professor of global health delivery practice since 2016 and a professor of pediatrics since 2017 at the University of Global Health Equity. She has served the health sector in various high-level government positions. She resides in Kigali.
A biological patent is a patent on an invention in the field of biology that by law allows the patent holder to exclude others from making, using, selling, or importing the protected invention for a limited period of time. The scope and reach of biological patents vary among jurisdictions, and may include biological technology and products, genetically modified organisms and genetic material. The applicability of patents to substances and processes wholly or partially natural in origin is a subject of debate.
Diana W. Bianchi is the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a post often called “the nation’s pediatrician.” She is a medical geneticist and neonatologist noted for her research on fetal cell microchimerism and prenatal testing. Bianchi had previously been the Natalie V. Zucker Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine and founder and executive director of the Mother Infant Research Institute at Tufts Medical Center. She also has served as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.
Big Pharma conspiracy theories are conspiracy theories which claim that pharmaceutical companies, especially large corporations, act in sinister and secretive ways, such as concealing effective treatments, or even intentionally causing and worsening a wide range of diseases, in pursuit of profitability, or for other nefarious reasons. Some theories have included the claim that natural alternative remedies to health problems are being suppressed, the claim that drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS are ineffective and harmful, the claim that a cure for all cancers has been discovered but hidden from the public, claims that COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective, and that alternative cures are available for COVID-19. In most cases the conspiracy theorists have blamed pharmaceutical companies' search for profits. A range of authors have shown these claims to be false, though some of these authors nevertheless maintain that other criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry are legitimate.
Muntaser Eltayeb Ibrahim is a Sudanese geneticist and professor of molecular biology at the University of Khartoum, where he leads its Institute of Endemic Diseases. Science described him as "one of Sudan's most distinguished living scholars". His research focuses on human genetic diversity in Africa, human genetic variation contributing to susceptibility to infectious diseases such as malaria and leishmaniasis, and cancer genetics.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Rwanda in March 2020. Rwanda's response to the pandemic has received international praise for its effectiveness. Despite limited resources, the country's well organised healthcare system, rapid deployment of testing procedures and high public trust in medical authorities have led to a successful public health response. As of 15 December 2021, there were 100,763 total confirmed cases, 1,344 confirmed deaths, 7 million first vaccine shots, and 1 critical case.
Charmaine DM Royal is an American geneticist and Associate Professor at the Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University. She studies the intersections of race, ethnicity, ancestry genetics, and health, especially as they pertain to historically marginalized and underrepresented groups in genetic and genomic research; and genomics and global health. Her major interest is in addressing root causes and implementing sustainable solutions regarding problems of race and racism in research, healthcare, and society. Royal is a Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Independent Expert Committee (IEC) member appointed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is a 2020 Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Iowa.
Human Heredity and Health in Africa, or H3Africa, is an initiative to study the genomics and medical genetics of African people. Its goals are to build the continent's research infrastructure, train researchers and clinicians, and to study questions of scientific and medical interest to Africans. The H3Africa Consortium was formally launched in 2012 in Addis Ababa and has grown to include research projects across 32 countries, a pan-contintental bioinformatics network, and the first whole genome sequencing of many African ethnolinguistic groups.
Misaki Wayengera is a Ugandan physician, academician, and a medical researcher. He serves as a lecturer for Pathology, Immunology and Molecular Biology at Makerere University College of Health Sciences. He is the chairperson of Uganda's Scientific Advisory Committee on COVID-19 for the Ministry of Health and the National Task Force.
The African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) is a learned society and professional membership organization focused on the study of human genetics and genomics in Africans, and open to researchers who are interested in the subject. It has played a role in founding several national genetics societies, and is affiliated with the societies of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Clair A. Francomano is an American medical geneticist and academic specializing in Ehlers–Danlos syndromes. She is Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University.
Adebowale A. Adeyemo is a Nigerian physician-scientist and genetic epidemiologist specialized in genomics and cardiometabolic disorders. He is the deputy director and chief scientific officer of the Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health at the National Human Genome Research Institute.
The Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases is a global health project that aims to mobilise political and financial resources for the control and eradication of infectious diseases, the so-called neglected tropical diseases due to different parasitic infections. Launched by the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases on 27 January 2022, it was the culmination and join commitment declared at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) hosted by the Government of Rwanda at its capital city Kigali on 23 June 2022.
Abasi Ene-Obong, is a Nigerian biomedical scientist and entrepreneur. Abasi holds a master's degree in human molecular genetics from Imperial College London and a PhD in Cancer Biology from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in England. Since September 2023, he is the founder and CEO of Syndicate Bio, a health technology company driving genomics and precision medicine initiatives in global healthcare. Prior to this, since 2019, Abasi served as the co-founder and CEO at 54Gene Inc, a defunct Nigerian health and biotech firm specialized in African genomics which he grew to a valuation of nearly $200m before stepping down in October 2022.