Functional Genomics Workshop to Empower African Researchers

The Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID) successfully hosted a Functional Genomics Course from August 19 to 21, 2026, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Generously funded by the African Research Excellence Fund (AREF), this intensive three-day workshop brought together a select cohort of ten early-career researchers from diverse disciplines, including Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, and Entomology, with international representation from Pretoria University in South Africa and academic institutions in Ghana..

The initiative represents the direct application of Dr. Mersimine Kouamo’s restitutional training following her six-month stay at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH) in Greece, where she specialized in transgenic Drosophila fly generation. Opening the workshop, Professor Wondji Charles, Executive Director of CRID, urged the trainees to maximize this rare opportunity, forge lasting cross-border collaborations, and spearhead the future of functional genomics across Africa.

Throughout the course, trainees transitioned from theoretical foundations into rigorous hands-on laboratory exercises focusing on DNA cloning and the Sanger sequencing workflow. In the insectary at Station A, supervised by Dr. Mersimine Kouamo, Dr. Carlos Djoko, and Theofelix Tekoh, participants mastered phenotypic differentiation between male, female, and virgin flies—an essential skill for genetic crossing experiments. Concurrently at Station B, supervised by Dr. Manuela Tachou and Vanessa Ngannang, trainees set up GAL4/UAS bipartite fly crosses and selected first-generation (F1​) progeny for targeted gene expression studies. The practical training continued with repeated hands-on screening of bacterial transformants to ensure all attendees gained technical precision in identifying successfully transformed cells. The afternoon sessions shifted toward data analysis, where trainees learned to read Sanger sequencing outputs and interpret crossover data, culminating in a comprehensive post-evaluation session and a formal certificate distribution ceremony. In alignment with the core vision of AVecGen, this successful three-day intensive course demonstrates CRID’s dedication to building cutting-edge capacity across Africa