• Seren (UK) and SerenOx Africa’s partnership aims to close the diagnostic gap for common blood disorders in Africa by offering patients easy access to low-cost diagnostic tests
• Profit made by both companies will be re-invested to expand diagnostic capacity on the African continent and beyond

Dar es Salaam, September 29, 2023: SerenOx Africa’s clinic and laboratory has been inaugurated by H.E British High Commissioner David Concar and Professor Paschal Ruggajo, Director of Curative Sciences at the Ministry of Health in Tanzania. This first private facility in sub-Saharan Africa will initially offer low-cost diagnostic tests for easily cured or treated diseases such as sickle cell disease. Operating as a social enterprise, profits will be reinvested to expand test menus and population reach.

In sub-Saharan Africa many diseases that can be easily cured or controlled with affordable therapies are currently not being diagnosed. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a notable example. Worldwide, more than 300 000 children are born with SCD every year, over 75% of whom are in sub-Saharan Africa.[1] In the absence of newborn screening and appropriate treatment, the majority of such children die undiagnosed in early childhood.[2] In fact, without intervention, 50-90% of affected children die before their fifth birthday.[3] Seren (UK) and SerenOx Africa now hope to shatter these trends.

“This opening marks a turning point for the diagnostic sector in Tanzania – and, more broadly, Africa,” explains Professor Anna Schuh (University of Oxford), Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Seren (UK). “A precise diagnosis is essential to deliver the right treatment to the right patient and at the right time. Yet, 47% of the global population has little to no access to diagnostics.”[4]

The two social enterprises, although wholly independent from one another, share a common mission: for populations to have rapid access to low-cost, precise diagnostic tests. They are both driven by impact rather than profit; financial gain will be directly reinvested into the companies, to expand their reach. They operate, however, at different levels. Seren (UK) is an enabler; a group of experts leveraging their knowledge and intellectual property to – globally – finance, advise, train and equip private and public entities closing diagnostic gaps. SerenOx Africa is one of these entities: it has benefitted from Seren (UK)’s expertise and scientific wealth.

“Our independent status allows the company to build on local capacities and to apply recommendations at its discretion, in accordance with the local environment,” says Dr William F. Mawalla, Co-Founder and CEO of SerenOx Africa. “We believe this unique business model will address the issue of sustainability which has hampered previous efforts to build effective health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.”

[1] Kevin Esoh et al, “Sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa: transferable strategies for prevention and care.” (The Lancet Haematology, Volume 8,10, 2021), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34481550/.

[2] Thomas N. Williams, “Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Hematology/oncology clinics of North America, Volume 30, 2, 2016), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27040958/.

[3] Kevin Esoh et al, “Sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa: transferable strategies for prevention and care.” (The Lancet Haematology, Volume 8,10, 2021), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34481550/.

[4] Kenneth A Fleming et al, “The Lancet Commission on diagnostics: transforming access to diagnostics” (Lancet, Volume 398, 2021), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8494468/.

For more information, please contact:

Pauline Piketty, piketty.pauline@gmail.com.

ABOUT SEREN (UK):

Seren (UK) is a social enterprise spin out of the University of Oxford. It is made up of an interdisciplinary group of academics, doctors and entrepreneurs.[1] All experts in their field, they are committed to leveraging Oxford’s intellectual property and know-how to enable the precise and rapid diagnosis of inherited blood disorders, infectious diseases and early-stage cancers – first in sub-Saharan Africa and, subsequently, wherever there may be a need in the rest of the world.[2]

ABOUT SERENOX AFRICA:

SerenOx Africa is a social enterprise founded by a German-French scientist living in the UK- Professor Anna Schuh – and a team of Tanzanians led by Dr. William F. Mawalla. Their mission is to advance the future of diagnostics in Africa by ensuring access to cost-effective, rapid and accurate molecular tests.[3] The first step in this direction was to establish a diagnostic testing and screening facility in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This project was supported by the University of Oxford, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Seren (UK).

[1] “Meet Our Team” (Seren), https://serenox.com/team/ https://serenox.com/team/.

[2] “Transforming Diagnostics in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Seren), https://serenox.com.

[3] “About us” (SerenOx Africa), https://www.serenoxafrica.co.tz.

We are proud to launch our website and take our first public steps to deliver on our mission!