Early risk prediction tools for heart and metabolic disease in Africa
Official title: Integrated modeLs for Early Risk-prediction in Africa (ILERA) study
Funded at Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD · NIH-11194305 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will see if combining genetic, gene-activity, and lifestyle information improves prediction of who in African communities is most at risk for heart and metabolic conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Parktown, South Africa) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $207,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U01HL172182-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11194305 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults from African communities who can provide blood samples and lifestyle/health information and are willing to take part in follow-up for cardiometabolic risk research.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not have African ancestry or who already have advanced cardiometabolic disease are less likely to receive direct benefit from the prediction models developed here.
What this research studies
You would be asked to provide a blood sample and information about your lifestyle and environment so researchers can collect genetic and gene-expression data alongside routine health measures for 13 cardiometabolic indicators. The team will begin with current polygenic risk scores and progressively add predicted transcriptomes, environmental, and lifestyle data to build richer prediction models. They will use data-driven methods that can capture complex, non-linear interactions between genes and environment. The work focuses on African populations to create risk tools that better reflect local genetics and exposures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give people in African communities earlier and more accurate warnings about cardiometabolic risk so they can get targeted prevention or treatment sooner.
How similar studies have gone: Polygenic risk scores have worked well in European populations but perform poorly in African groups, and adding gene-expression and lifestyle data is a newer approach with some promising but still preliminary results.
Where this research is happening
-
Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD
Parktown, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Choudhury, Ananyo — Wits Health Consortium (Pty), LTD
- Study coordinator: Choudhury, Ananyo
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.