KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform

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Aims to challenge the status quo and establish one of the world’s most advanced and respected genetic sequencing platforms

KRISP aims to challenge the status quo and establish one of the world’s most advanced and respected genetic sequencing platforms, to enable and support world-class genomics research and diagnostics services in Africa.

The platform contributes knowledge, scientific evidence and informs policy regarding interventions to address different pandemics in South Africa. Emerging and reemerging pathogens occurring internationally, suggest that humanity will continue to face a future burden of pandemics. KRISP is amongst the centres that are driving pandemic preparedness for South Africa. This entails, amongst other aspects, establishing capacity for genomic data generation and undertaking bioinformatics analysis of that data. The platform has demonstrated exceptional capacity using of genomics to support the response to some of the biggest health problems.

Focus Areas

  • Omics, genomics, bioinformatics, and epigenetics enabler: focus on providing services to academic and R&D clients. This generates scientific publications, innovations and intellectual property (IP).
  • Next Generation Diagnostics: focus on providing diagnostic testing to commercial (pathology laboratories, pharma companies and clinicians) and academic clients. KRISP uses the latest and most accurate technologies in the market, including next generation sequencers Illumina and Oxford Nanopore.
  • Training and capacity building: focus on offering short courses (< 5 days) on genomics, bioinformatics, and epigenetics, to researchers, technicians, and commercial clients.

Key Projects

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2

KRISP was instrumental in South Africa setting up and rolling out the latest technologies for cost-effective sequencing of SARSCoV- 2. The key outputs included the rapid identification of Beta, Omicron and other variants that were circulating in Southern Africa. The detection of these variants provided a crucial early warning to the rest of the world.

Genomic data from KRISP and other network laboratories was used in epidemiological investigations, resolving local outbreaks in communities, hospitals and business establishments. The scientific evidence produced was used to inform the government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Policy-wise, the discovery of Omicron sparked an uptick in booster vaccinations, renewed restrictions, and travel bans.

Antimicrobial resistance

Sequencing data from the platform is used in research studies to characterize clinically important resistance mechanisms of HIV and TB. One of these is the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) – an international consortium addressing resistance to antiretroviral treatment Dolutegravir which KRISP is part of.

CLIMADE

KRISP is part of CLIMADE initiative, a consortium established to respond to climate amplified diseases and epidemics.

Website: https://www.krisp.org.za/