Connecting minds in dementia research: UT Health San Antonio leads bioinformatics program for African scientists studying neurodegenerative diseases

In the coming years, Africa is expected to sustain the greatest increase in Alzheimer's and related dementia cases. Advancing the ability of African scientists to conduct research in these fields is critical for progress in understanding and treating these conditions.

A transformative training program crafted through a collaboration between the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases at The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), which is also the home of the South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the Brain Research Africa Initiative aims to provide African researchers with the skills they need to gather, analyze and interpret biological data for neurodegenerative disease research.

The African Initiative for Bioinformatics Online Training in Neurodegenerative Diseases (AI-BOND) program emerged from a collaborative vision among UT Health San Antonio researchers and African biomedical leaders who recognized a need to address disparities in access to bioinformatics education in Africa and the growing urgency to address neurological health challenges globally. A report about the program was published in the October/December 2024 edition of Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions.

The idea for the training program came after a series of conversations among researchers attending a dementia conference in Nairobi in 2022, said José E. Cavazos, MD, PhD, associate dean for research for the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, professor in the departments of Cellular and Integrative Physiology and Neurology, and director of the South Texas Medical Scientist Training Program.

"The credit to crystalize and implement it falls squarely on the shoulders of Dr. Fongang. The impact of the successful implementation is shown by the great interest and quality of the applications for the round two of AI-BOND Scholars," Cavazos said.

How AI-BOND began

Ongoing discussions over several years with scientists from around the globe highlighted the need to empower scientists from countries with smaller economies to develop and execute their own studies, said Sudha Seshadri, MD, DM, Robert R. Barker Distinguished University Professor of neurology and founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases. She said creating the capacity to expand research in low- and middle-income countries boosts scientific gains not only for these countries, but also for the entire world.

"No one type of human has a monopoly on creativity or intelligence, so we need to harness the energy and ideas of people all over the globe. To do that you need to build the infrastructure for people in lower- and middle-income countries to complete their own investigations," Seshadri said, "There is a disproportionate amount of the science that is being done in countries with larger economies. We are missing out on the opportunity to learn from three-fourths of humanity."

The overarching goal of AI-BOND is to build research capacity by fostering and nurturing the next generation of African scientists in biostatistics, bioinformatics and epidemiologic methods in neurodegenerative diseases, said founding volunteer faculty member Jayandra Jung Himali, PhD, William Castella Distinguished Chair for Alzheimer's Disease Research, associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences, and adjunct associate professor of neurology and biostatistics at Boston University's School of Medicine and of Public Health.

To reach this target, he said, a multidisciplinary team of mentors share knowledge through the free, comprehensive program, initiate innovative and adaptive research, encourage participants to disseminate findings through conference presentations and publications, foster international collaborations and garner grant funding.

"It is imperative to help develop human capital and future leaders in scientific communities capable of addressing the research needs of their own country to help benefit science and humanity at large," Himali said.

About the program

From the launch of the first application process, enthusiasm for the AI-BOND program was evident. Beginning in September 2023, 173 individuals from 22 African countries applied for the free, six-month training. From that group, 41 students were chosen for the first cohort. Participants included graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career scientists with a desire to focus their research on neurodegenerative diseases.

"If you want to really understand people living in a country, if you want to disseminate the research and understand what is going on, they should be the ones at the beginning and end of the research," said AI-BOND program director Bernard Fongang, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of Biochemistry and Structural Biology and Population Health Sciences.

The initiative was made possible through the efforts of about a dozen UT Health San Antonio faculty members who volunteered to design the comprehensive virtual curriculum and lead twice-weekly sessions. The program's 24-week course included modules on computer programming, biostatistics, bioinformatics, genetic epidemiology, neurodegenerative diseases and integrative multi-omics.

The program emphasized hands-on learning through access to real-world neurodegenerative disease datasets. Participants also applied bioinformatic tools to analyze genetic and proteomic data that they gathered, drawing meaningful insights to advance their own neurological research.

AI-BOND graduated its first cohort of 41 students in June 2024 with a stunning 100% completion rate. Fongang said graduates have gone on to present at conferences, write manuscripts and several are in the process of applying for grants.

What's next for AI-BOND

Following the success of the first cohort, UT Health San Antonio volunteer faculty launched the next session of the AI-BOND program December 4, 2024. During this application period, 220 individuals from 24 African countries applied and 45 applicants from 16 countries were selected to form the second cohort of the AI-BOND training program. Students in this session will have access to a website (www.aibond.org) and mobile app features that provide recorded lectures and resource materials on demand.

AI-BOND leaders said they hope this program will continue and expand, but to do so will require more manpower, financial support and partnerships with other entities.

"Initiation of AI-BOND through the collaboration between the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio, the South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Brain Research Africa Initiative was through the shared commitment to service at the core. To become sustainable and grow, we need to retain that ideal and extend our reach to the whole of Africa, identify appropriate partnerships, obtain funding and retain and expand the multidisciplinary team of experts," Himali said.

As the second cohort begins, the AI-BOND program serves as a testament to the power of UT Health San Antonio-led initiatives in creating opportunities for scientific advancement worldwide.

Other AI-BOND faculty members from UT Health include Xueqiu Jian, PhD, Muralidharan Sargurupremraj, PhD, Habil Zare, PhD, as well as Yannick Wadop, PhD, Rebecca Bernal and Crystal D. Wiedner, PhD, a biostatistician working in a part-time capacity at the Glenn Biggs Institute.

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Fongang, B., Ayele, B. A., Wadop, Y. N., Epenge, E., Nkouonlack, C. D., Njamnshi, W. Y., Jian, X., Sargurupremraj, M., Djotsa, A. B. S. N., Seke Etet, P. F., Bernal, R., Atangana, A., Cavazos, J. E., Himali, J. J., Fonteh, A. N., Maestre, G., Njamnshi, A. K., & Seshadri, S. (2024). The African Initiative for Bioinformatics Online Training in Neurodegenerative Diseases (AI-BOND): Investing in the next generation of African neuroscientists. Alzheimer's and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, 10(4), Article e70002. https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.70002

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