Human Genetics Factors (HGF)

Human Genetics Factors (HGF)

The haemoglobinopathies, including the thalassaemia and sickle haemoglobin, are the commonest genetic disorders of man. These conditions have been selected to their current frequencies because in their carrier forms they result in a survival advantage. However, in their homozygous states many result in early death. The main theme of our group’s research is to understand more about these conditions, their advantages and their disadvantages, in the hope that these insights might result in the development of new approaches to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. We are studying the ways in which these conditions protect against malaria through studies in the field and in the laboratory; their distributions in populations both in Kenya and internationally; and their negative effects, particularly with regard to sickle cell disease.

Current projects

We are currently following a birth cohort of 16,000 children to study the effects of haemoglobin disorders prospectively. We will describe their effects on the risk of admission to hospital with the various phenotypes of malaria, invasive bacterial infections and other key diseases that lead to admission to hospital in Kenya. 

We are also conducting a range of epidemiological studies framed within the clinical and epidemiological surveillance systems operated within the Kilifi Programme.