23 Sep 2025 / Day 0

Time Title Speaker Venue
08:00 - 14:00 Pre-Conference 1: Bioinformatics Training
Dr. Stefano Cacciatore
Group Leader Bioinformatics Unit, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), (Cape Town-South Africa)
High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS), NUST Lower Campus
14:00 - 18:00 Pre-Conference 2: Proteomics Training
Dr Ireshyn Govender
Senior Researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
HTTPS
18:00 - 20:00 Pre-Conference 3: VC Public Lecture
Professor Christian Happi
Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics and Director of the Institute of Genomics and Global Health (IGH), Adjunct Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS), NUST Lower Campus

24 Sep 2025 / Day 1

Time Title Speaker Venue
07:00 - 08:00 Registration Hilton Hotel
08:00 - 08:10 Opening Prayer Hilton Hotel
08:10 - 08:35 Conference Opening Remarks
Professor Lamech Mwapagha
Chair Conference Scientific Organising Committee, Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Hilton Hotel
08:25 - 08:40 ICGEB Opening Remarks
Dr. Stefano Cacciatore
Group Leader Bioinformatics Unit, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), (Cape Town-South Africa)
Hilton Hotel
08:40 - 08:55 NUST Opening Remarks Hilton Hotel
08:55 - 09:25 Welcome Address Hilton Hotel
09:25 - 09:35 Group Photo Hilton Hotel
09:35 - 10:15 Tea/Coffee Break: Posters and Exhibitions Hilton Hotel
10:15 - 10:55 Keynote Address: Genomic Insights in African Ancestry
Professor Vanessa Hayes
Petre Chair of Prostate Cancer Research in the School of Medical Sciences, heading the Ancestry & Health Genomics Laboratory located within the Charles Perkins Centre (CPC)
Hilton Hotel
10:55 - 11:05 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
11:05 - 11:25 Genomics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Focus on MYC
Professor Devanand Sarkar
Professor in the Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
Hilton Hotel
11:25 - 11:45 Epidemiology of Cancers (Global, Regional, National Overview)
Dr. Richard Banda
World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Namibia
Hilton Hotel
11:45 - 12:05 Strengthening Cancer Surveillance and Advocacy: Lessons from Namibia
Mr. Rolf-Jürgen (Rolf) Hansen
Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN)
Hilton Hotel
12:05 - 12:25 Molecular Characterisation of Cancers in SubSaharan Africa
Dr. Nixon Niyonzima
Head of Research and Training, and the Laboratory Director at the Uganda Cancer Institute
Hilton Hotel
12:25 - 12:40 Advancing Personalised Cancer Therapy Through Genomics in Namibia
Dr. Laina IIyambo
Head of Department Radiation Oncology at the Windhoek Central Hospital
Hilton Hotel
12:40 - 13:00 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch Break Hilton Hotel
14:00 - 14:20 Unravelling the Dynamics of KSHV Infection: Genomic Insights into Disease Progression and Outcomes
Dr. Georgia Schäfer
Group Leader of the Virology – Emerging Viruses at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Honorary Associate Professor at the Univerisity of (Cape Town, South Africa)
Hilton Hotel
14:20 - 14:40 Advances in Cancer Biomarker Research and Detection Technologies
Dr Mariëtte Rothman
Clinical and Radiation Oncologists at the Namibian Oncology Centre
Hilton Hotel
14:40 - 15:00 Bridging the Gap: Understanding Genomic Drivers of Drug Response in Gynaecological Malignancies
Dr. Mutsa M. Takundwa
Senior researcher at the Synthetic Biology and Precision Medicine Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Hilton Hotel
15:00 - 15:20 Emerging Technologies in Cancer Genomics
Dr. Nambumba Amundaba
Histopathologist at the Namibia Institute of Pathology
Hilton Hotel
15:20 - 15:40 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
15:40 - 18:00 Tea/Coffee Break: Posters and Exhibitions Hilton Hotel
18:00 - 19:00 NUST Oncotech Networking Dinner (Calabar Restaurant – Hilton Hotel) Hilton Hotel

25 Sep 2025 / Day 2

Time Title Speaker Venue
08:00 - 08:40 Keynote Address: Pan-African Genomic Initiatives and the Future of Precision Medicine in Cancer Care
Professor Christian Happi
Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics and Director of the Institute of Genomics and Global Health (IGH), Adjunct Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Hilton Hotel
08:40 - 08:50 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
08:50 - 09:10 Mutational Signatures and Precision Oncology: Mapping Tumour Evolution to Improve Cancer Care (Virtual Talk)
Professor David Wedge
Professor of Cancer Genomics and Data Science, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, University of Manchester
Hilton Hotel
09:10 - 09:30 Translating Genomic Discoveries into Clinical Practice
Dr. Xavier Berthet
Head scientific and biomedical research at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar
Hilton Hotel
09:30 - 09:50 Biomarkers in Precision Oncology: Clinical Relevance and Applications
Dr. Jean Claudien Hategekimana
Consultant anatomical pathologist at the Namibia Institute of Pathology
Hilton Hotel
09:50 - 10:10 Decoding Cancer Through Metabolomics: Functional Insights Beyond the Genome
Dr. Stefano Cacciatore
Group Leader Bioinformatics Unit, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), (Cape Town-South Africa)
Hilton Hotel
10:10 - 10:25 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
10:25 - 10:45 Tea/Coffee Break: Posters and Exhibitions Hilton Hotel
10:45 - 11:00 Selected Poster Presentations Hilton Hotel
11:00 - 11:10 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
11:10 - 11:30 Next-Generation Sequencing Innovations for Cancer Genomics in African Populations (Virtual Talk)
Dr. Jialei Zhang
Oncology Product Manager at BGI Europe A/S
Hilton Hotel
11:30 - 11:50 Microbiome, Oncogenic HPV, and Epigenetic Imprints in Penile Cancer Risk
Dr. Harris Onywera
Bioinformatics Data Scientist and workforce development lead, Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative at Africa CDC
Hilton Hotel
11:50 - 12:10 Advancing Cancer Therapeutics in Africa: Integrating Genomics, Innovation, and Translational Medicine
Professor Peter Nyarango
Professor of Medicine and Surgery, and founding Dean University of Namibia School of Medicine
Hilton Hotel
12:10 - 12:50 Experts Panel Discussion: The Power of Genomics in Revolutionising Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Professor Devanand Sarkar
Professor in the Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
Hilton Hotel
12:50 - 13:00 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch Break Hilton Hotel
14:00 - 14:20 AI and Genomics in Africa: Harnessing Genetic Diversity to Transform Cancer Care
Professor Lamech Mwapagha
Chair Conference Scientific Organising Committee, Associate Professor of Medical Biochemistry, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Hilton Hotel
14:20 - 14:40 Machine Learning Models to Predict Cancer Risk Using African Genomic Data (Virtual Talk)
Mbangula Lameck Amugongo
Postdoctoral researcher at Boehringer Ingelheim
Hilton Hotel
14:40 - 15:00 AI-Driven Early Cancer Screening: Transforming Detection and Diagnosis in Africa
Dr Helena Musau
Consultant Clinical/Radiation Oncologist and palliative care specialist working in Nairobi, Kenya
Hilton Hotel
15:00 - 15:20 AI-Powered Imaging for Early Cancer Detection in Africa: Leveraging Opthascan Technology
Bren Sambunathan
Chief Commercial and Technology Officer at Oncotech and Chairman and CEO of DiaPearl Group
Hilton Hotel
15:20 - 16:00 Experts Panel Discussion: Role of AI Technology in Cancer Screening and Treatment
Dr Helena Musau
Consultant Clinical/Radiation Oncologist and palliative care specialist working in Nairobi, Kenya
Hilton Hotel
16:00 - 16:20 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
16:20 - 17:00 Tea/Coffee Break: Posters and Exhibitions Hilton Hotel

26 Sep 2025 / Day 3

Time Title Speaker Venue
08:00 - 08:40 Keynote Address: Equitable Genomics: Bridging the Gap Between Innovation and Access in Cancer Treatment
Professor Anna Schuh
Director of Molecular Diagnostics and Honorary Consultant Haematologist, Oxford University NHS Trust
Hilton Hotel
08:40 - 08:50 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
08:50 - 09:10 Equations to Equity: Fast-Tracking Access to Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Dr. Xavier Berthet
Head scientific and biomedical research at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar
Hilton Hotel
09:10 - 09:30 Transforming Breast Cancer Research in Africa: Precision Medicine and Collaborative Genomics
Dr. Evelyn Jiagge MD,Ph.D
Director Precision Medicine for African Breast Cancer (PMABC), Assistant Professor in Hematology/Oncology, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, and University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
Hilton Hotel
09:30 - 09:50 A Collaborative Roadmap: Translation of Advances in Cancer Genomics
Dr John Abebrese
Clinician and researcher at the Windhoek Central Hospital in the Department of Surgery
Hilton Hotel
09:50 - 10:25 The African Clinical Multiome Atlas Platform
Dr Jerolen Naidoo
Principal researcher within the CSIR Future Production Chemicals cluster
Hilton Hotel
10:25 - 10:45 Tea/Coffee Break: Posters and Exhibitions Hilton Hotel
10:45 - 11:00 Selected Poster Presentations Hilton Hotel
11:00 - 11:10 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
11:10 - 11:30 Building Africa’s Cancer Genomics Workforce: Policy Frameworks for Sustainable Impact (Virtual Talk)
Dr. Kgomotso Makhaola
Senior Science Manager at the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)
Hilton Hotel
11:30 - 11:50 Transforming Cancer Genomics Research: How Science Grant Councils Can Drive Innovation
Dr Paulus Mungeyi
Manager for Biosafety at the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST), Namibia
Hilton Hotel
11:50 - 12:10 From Imaging to Treatment: The Next Generation of Radiation Oncology in Africa
Dr Mtabeni Jemu
Radiation Oncologist, Namibian Oncology Centre
Hilton Hotel
12:10 - 12:30 Safeguarding Africa’s Genomic Data: Challenges and Opportunities in Cancer Research
Dr. Kaenda Rukira
Senior Medical Officer in the Department of Medical Oncology at Windhoek Central Hospital
Hilton Hotel
12:30 - 12:50 Advancing Cancer Diagnosis Through Genomic Innovation: Illumina’s Role in Precision Oncology for Africa
Sahil Tulsi
Genomic Sales specialist at Illumina
Hilton Hotel
12:50 - 13:00 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch Break Hilton Hotel
14:00 - 14:20 Strengthening Laboratory Medicine for Cancer Genomics in Africa: The Role of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)
Dr. Cara Mia Dunaiski
PhD (Medical Microbiology), is a Senior Research Scientist at the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP).
Hilton Hotel
14:20 - 15:00 Experts Panel Discussion: Way Forward Advancing Cancer Genomics in Africa: Data Security, Policy, Funding and Equitable Health Systems
Professor Anna Schuh
Director of Molecular Diagnostics and Honorary Consultant Haematologist, Oxford University NHS Trust
Hilton Hotel
15:00 - 15:20 Question and Answer Session Hilton Hotel
15:20 - 15:40 Closing Remarks & Conference Wrap-Up Hilton Hotel
15:40 - 15:50 Closing Prayer Hilton Hotel
15:50 - 16:00 Final Group Photo Hilton Hotel
16:00 - 17:00 Tea/Coffee and Departure Hilton Hotel