Yobe State University has announced a breakthrough in dementia research, having collected over 1,100 blood and biopsy samples in what is described as the first large-scale dementia cohort study in northern Nigeria.
The project, run by the university’s Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC), also feeds into Africa’s first open-access stem cell biobank.
Professor Mahmoud Bukar Maina, who leads the study, said the research goes beyond dementia, with participants also screened for diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, malaria and other conditions. He said the milestone was about “placing Yobe on the global map of biomedical research.” The university credited support from the Yobe State Government, local health centres and traditional leaders for enabling the work.
According to the World Health Organisation, dementia is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide and a significant cause of disability among older people. The study, which involves partners in Nigeria, the UK, the US, the Netherlands and other African countries, is expected to help improve early disease detection and treatment options while advancing global knowledge of dementia.
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