Yobe State University’s Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) has hit a significant milestone, collecting over 1,100 biopsy and blood samples for its ongoing Dementia Research Project.
The research led by BioRTC Founder and Director, Prof Mahmoud Bukar Maina, is the first large-scale dementia cohort study of its kind in Northern Nigeria, designed to feed into Africa’s first open-access iPSC biobank.
While dementia is the primary focus, Maina emphasised that the project is far more than a single-disease study, stating that every participant is also screened for other pressing health challenges, such as diabetes, hypertension, and infectious diseases, among others.
This is to ensure that the data collected will directly benefit other BioRTC-led initiatives, including statewide research on kidney disease and malaria. This integrated approach means that the findings will address multiple health burdens affecting the people of Yobe and the wider region.
“This milestone is not just about dementia; it is about placing Yobe on the global map of biomedical research. By combining community engagement, world-class science, and partnerships across Nigeria, the UK, USA, The Netherlands, and other African countries, we are building the foundation for discoveries that will benefit our people and contribute to global health,” Maina said.
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