Govt must prioritise translational research as way out of Nigeria’s health sector weaknesses — Experts
By Moses Adeniyi
As efforts become urgent to vitalise the Nigerian health sector, one way out of the wobbling state of affairs is that the government and all relevant stakeholders must pay attention to prioritise and encourage transnational research in the Country; clinical and medical experts have submitted.
In the view of Professor, Anatomy and Molecular Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Professor Fatimah Abdulkareem, translational research is a necessity in Nigeria’s health sector if positive changes are to be seen.
In her Keynote address at the Joint Faculty Day For Faculty of Basic Medical and Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, on Thursday, Abdulkareem explained that translational research remains very important in improving the health of the populace in the form of diagnostics, therapeutics, medical procedures and devices, among others.
Explaining that it harnesses the use of discoveries from basic science to develop new diagnostics as it consists of multiple steps that are intertwined, with the patient as the focal point, she said it facilitates improved knowledge and skills to basic scientists and clinicians; improved health to the nation through development of effective drugs and treatment; provision of raw materials for the industry through development of new techniques, among others.
She mentioned that barriers to translational research in the Country, among others, have been issues relating to lack of culture of translation, inadequate infrastructure, inadequately trained workforce and difficulty retaining those that possess the necessary skills.
She also identified compartmentalisation of departments within universities and hospitals, as well as cultural divide between scientists and clinicians; lack of protected time to undertake research; reluctance to share information; and complex regulatory processes, among others, as major problems.
She submitted the government must intervene to support training in clinical research to develop the requisite skill for man power development; provide access to equipment and effective information technology systems; promote community outreach and engagement projects, as well as community advisory boards.
Mentioning that, amongst others, these will go a long way as solutions to these barriers, she called for removal of the perceived boundaries between clinical care and research.
On his part, the Dean, Postgraduate School, University of Lagos, Professor Abraham Osinubi, said the future directions for translational research which include artificial intelligence and machine learning, precision medicine, biotechnology and CRISPR-Cas 9, innovations, regenerative medicine, nanomedicine, global collaboration and ethical considerations are very important considerations the government must collaborate with academic institutions to develop in Nigeria.
He further recommended that each contribution no matter how small has the power to catalyse the change sought and that translational research is a requirement of the 21st century.
In the words of the Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, Professor Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, “It is a very unhealthy situation and I am happy that this event is happening today in which emphasis is being laid on translational research. I believe that as we speak, Universities should be more intentional about the kind of publications they would accept from their basic scientists.”
He emphasised that researches should be more translational and applied in nature, considering that grants from international organizations now favour more researches that are translational in nature.
In his view, the Dean, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, Professor Kayode O. Yemitan, said, “Research has proven that what people do on the benchside, it is less than one percent of it that end up becoming useful and that is not very good at all, especially in Nigeria where our students do a lot of projects every year, but everything just ends up on the shelf.”
He, however, mentioned that a translational committee will be set up to push through any projects by students or members of staff to get to the next stage for implementation.
“Also, some money has been put aside to help scientists in that regard as it will also be multidisciplinary. This is in a bid to help in the concerns raised as regards translational researches to make it beneficial to the patients in the clinic, the communities, and the public, so that everybody will benefit as well,” he added.
He mentioned that medical researches are part of United Nations Millennium Development Goals important to develop the health goals of the nation
The Joint Faculty Day for Faculty of Basic Medical and Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences with the theme: “Translational Biomedical Research: A Catalyst for National Growth and Development” in LASUCOM, had in attendance the Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello; the Provost, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Professor Abiodun Adewuya; the Dean, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, Professor Kayode O. Yemitan; the Chief Medical Director, LASUTH, Professor Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo who was the Special Guest; Professor, Anatomy and Molecular Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Professor Fatimah Biade Abdulkareem who was the keynote speaker; Dean, Postgraduate School, University of Lagos, Professor Abraham Osinubi who was also a guest lecturer.
Also were, the Head, Centre for Human Virology and Genomics, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR); Dr Chika Onwuama; the Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Prof L.C. Ajonuma; other Heads of Departments and Units, Staff and students of LASUCOM and LASUTH, and visitors from sister institutions.
