Abidjan, August 20, 2025 — The Institut Pasteur de Côte d’Ivoire (IPCI) has launched its second regional training session in next-generation sequencing (NGS), strengthening its efforts to develop local expertise in this key area of molecular genetics. Entitled “From Sample to Sequence and Bioinformatics Analysis,” this workshop is being held from August 18 to 29, 2025, bringing together around ten professionals from Ivorian institutions, as well as from neighboring countries such as Niger and Mali.
Organized by the Molecular Genetics Platform through the Microbial Genomics and Metagenomics Laboratory, this event takes place in a "one health" context where human, animal, and environmental health are addressed in an integrated manner. The objective is to strengthen regional expertise in genomic sequencing, in order to better monitor and study infectious diseases.
At the opening, Professor Meité Syndou, Director of the IPCI, highlighted the strategic importance of this training. He emphasized that training constitutes one of the four fundamental pillars of the Institute, alongside research, epidemiological surveillance and service delivery.
He indicated that training was becoming increasingly important and that the Institute was considering organizing a workshop to present its various training offers at the national, regional and international levels. He encouraged participants to be serious and diligent in the face of the complexity of the techniques covered, while recalling that the IPCI remains an institution open to all and active in promoting genomics training at the national, regional and international levels.
Professor Coulibaly N’GOLO David, on behalf of the platform coordinator, Professor GBONON M’BENGUE Valérie on mission, emphasized the major progress made by NGS technologies in the study of genomes. However, he emphasized that these advances also require in-depth expertise in bioinformatics to process and analyze the large volumes of data generated. The objective of this training is therefore to train specialists capable of making concrete contributions to Ivorian scientific research, while promoting the creation of a regional network of competent professionals.
The opening ceremony featured an inaugural lecture by Professor DJAMAN Allico Joseph, Head of the Department of Fundamental and Clinical Biochemistry at IPCI. He explained how genomic analysis helps us better understand the diversity of living things by identifying genes and mutations linked to diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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These techniques also facilitate personalized medicine by adapting treatments to the patient's genetic profile, as well as research on the origins of populations, particularly among African Americans whose African ancestry can be traced through their genetic heritage.
This presentation was attended online by approximately twenty participants, highlighting the growing impact of genomics in healthcare and understanding our shared past. The training continues with the aim of strengthening regional capacity in sequencing and bioinformatics, with the aim of making the IPCI a center of excellence in genomics in West Africa.
