Syndicate Bio, a Lagos-based health innovation company, has launched its advanced sequencing laboratory and Direct, a new precision medicine service that allows patients to access complex genetic testing locally.
Founded by Dr Abasi Ene-Obong, Syndicate Bio is leveraging AI-powered genomic medicine to close Africa’s genomic data gap that has long limited research and treatment of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and sickle cell anaemia.
For decades, African patients’ genetic samples were shipped abroad for analysis, keeping the continent dependent on external institutions and leaving its genetic diversity underrepresented in global health databases. With Direct, Syndicate Bio is changing that narrative.
“For too long, the absence of locally derived genomic data has limited how we prevent, diagnose, and treat disease,” says Dr Abasi Ene-Obong, founder of Syndicate Bio, a new-generation genomics company.
What You Should Know
Syndicate Bio, launched in September 2023 by Dr Ene-Obong after his exit from the pioneering startup 54gene, is trying to change the narrative.
The company says it aims to make large-scale human sequencing accessible and practical within Africa. It is building a health innovation ecosystem that collaborates with governments, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and hospitals to develop precision medicine solutions grounded in African data.
The platform enables hospitals, cancer centres, and laboratories across Nigeria to collect patient samples, sequence them locally, and use AI-driven insights to inform diagnosis, treatment, and drug development.
Health professionals say this is a step towards a future where Africa not only contributes to but also benefits directly from genomic science and precision healthcare.
Understanding Direct by Syndicate Bio
At the centre of this effort is Direct by Syndicate Bio, the company’s flagship genetic testing and precision medicine platform.
Based in Lagos, the startup says the new sequencing laboratory serves as Nigeria’s frontline for AI-enabled genomic testing; an infrastructure designed to bring personalised healthcare within reach of ordinary Nigerians.
Through a network of partner laboratories across 20 cities in Nigeria, the company collects blood, saliva, or tissue samples. These are then processed in Lagos using advanced sequencing machines that can generate up to 100 gigabytes of genetic data per sample.
Artificial Intelligence analyses this data in the cloud, and a clinical report is shared with healthcare providers. Each patient is also connected with a genetic counsellor to interpret results and guide treatment.
“With Direct, Syndicate Bio is harnessing Nigeria’s rich genetic diversity to generate insights that improve care for Nigerians and the diaspora, while advancing inclusive precision medicine globally,” says Dr Ene-Obong.
What This Means
One of Direct’s early priorities is oncology; the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Direct’s hereditary cancer tests analyse over 300 genes linked to cancers such as breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and colorectal. This allows doctors to identify inherited cancer risks early.
The laboratory also screens for over 90 genetic disorders across cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, and immune-related categories.
Africa contributes less than 3% of global genome sequencing, a critical gap in the world’s medical research ecosystem. Nigeria also records an estimated 127,000 cancer cases every year, resulting in about 80,000 deaths.
For patients already living with cancer, Syndicate Bio offers tumour profiling, a test that identifies the genetic driver of a specific cancer so doctors can target treatments more effectively.
“In Nigeria, we’ve not really been treating cancers from an actionable perspective, because we’ve not had the tools,” says Ene-Obong. “ But with this now, we’ll be able to know exactly what is driving that cancer. We’ll then be able to bring in the right drugs for this particular cancer.”
Building for Africa
Another of Direct’s offerings, pharmacogenomics, helps determine how an individual’s body reacts to common drugs. By analysing a person’s genetic makeup, it can predict whether a medication will be effective or cause adverse reactions.
The platform also includes health and wellness testing, carrier screening for inherited disorders such as sickle cell and thalassaemia, and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) that assesses foetal health without risky invasive procedures.
To ensure these insights reach hospitals and patients, Syndicate Bio has established the Direct Nigeria Precision Medicine Network (DNPMN); a consortium of hospitals, cancer centres, and global partners collaborating on complex cases and knowledge exchange.
Key partners include Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centre (USA), Lakeshore Cancer Centre, and Redus Centre for Digestive Health. Together, they aim to create a model where Nigerian patients have access to international standards of personalised care.
The company plans to expand into kinship testing, digital pathology, and newborn screening, with the ultimate goal of building one of the most comprehensive genomic databases in Africa.
By investing in local sequencing capacity and AI-enabled data analysis, experts say Syndicate Bio is positioning Nigeria as a continental leader in precision medicine.
Talking Points
It is significant that Syndicate Bio’s Direct platform brings AI-powered genetic testing to Nigeria, not as a research project, but as a clinical service that ordinary patients can access. This shift is a structural change in how healthcare data is generated, owned, and used on the continent.
At Techparley, we see how this move can accelerate Africa’s participation in global precision medicine and drug discovery, creating opportunities for local researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers to contribute to international health innovation on their own terms.
The integration of AI in analysing genetic samples also highlights a broader convergence between healthtech and deep science, a space where Africa has historically been underrepresented.
With the right partnerships, regulatory support, and public education, Direct by Syndicate Bio could become the cornerstone of a new era, where African data finally drives African health outcomes.
