“Overcoming emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and their effects with genomic research.”

The HRH-CERID at LAUTECH in Ogbomoso, Nigeria, is one of the Humboldt Research Hubs in Africa, funded by the Bayer Foundation in Germany. Established in August 2021, the hub aims to enhance research capacity in Nigeria and develop strategies to address current and future pandemics. The hub's main collaborative partners are the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and the University of Khartoum in Sudan. HRH-CERID is part of a broader initiative by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to establish research hubs across Africa, aiming to strengthen research capacities and develop strategies to address pandemics.

Our Goals:

•      HRH-CERID aimed at strengthening capabilities and systems to rapidly and effectively respond to infectious diseases with endemic, epidemic, or pandemic potential.

•      Conduct cutting-edge research in infectious and non-infectious diseases to advance knowledge, solve problems, and innovate solutions.

•      Train and develop younger scientists, healthcare workers, and laboratory personnel.

•      Support local systems conducting disease surveillance and rapidly identify and respond to outbreaks using our genomic facilities.

•      Biobanking of infectious disease samples.

CERID’s key collaborators are the Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany, and the Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Sudan.

NEWS AND EVENTS

Link to LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrh-cerid-lautech-ogbomoso-5887b0240/

Pan-African Conference on Genomics, One Health, and Climate Change: Advancing Emerging Disease Control

Title: The Intersection of Genomics, One Health, and Climate Change in Emerging Disease Control

Date: October 13^th – 17^th, 2025

Venue: LAUTECH, Ogbomoso

Link to website

COLLABORATOR

·         Institute of Tropical Medicine University of Tuebingen, Germany

·         University of Khartoum, Sudan

·         National Institute Medical Research, Lagos Nigeria

·         Rochester Institute of Technology

FUNDERS

Alexander von Humboldt, Germany

Bayer Foundation Germany

Aetiology of Childhood Diarrhoea in Southwest Nigeria

Childhood diarrhoea remains a significant public health concern in Southwest Nigeria, contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five. The aetiology of diarrhoea in this region is multifaceted, involving infectious agents, environmental factors, and socio-economic determinants. Infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites, are leading causes of diarrhoea. Rotavirus is a prevalent cause of severe diarrhoea among infants, often resulting in dehydration and hospitalization.

§  Identify parasites, viruses, and bacteria associated with childhood diarrhoea in Nigeria.

 Characterise the pathogen genotypically using Oxford nanopore sequencing

§  Identify the possible risk factors

Head of Humboldt-Bayer Hub and CERID

Olusola O. Ojurongbe

Professor of Medical Parasitology

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology

Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology

Email: oojurongbe@lautech.edu.ng

Collaborator in Germany

Thirumalaisamy Velavan

Professor of Molecular Genetics of Infectious Diseases

Institute of Tropical Medicine, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen

Director, Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research (VG-CARE)

Email: velavan@medizin.uni-tuebingen.de