Olubukola Ayodele discusses Nigeria’s readiness for clinical trials

Olubukola Ayodele posted the following on LinkedIn:

“It was an absolute honor to have been invited to the 7th ARCON scientific conference in Ibadan, Nigeria to address the topic of Nigeria’s readiness for clinical trials.

The burden of cancer weighs heavily on LMICs, with increasing incidence and higher mortality rates. There is a serious lack of data on the biology of cancer in patients of African descent. Shockingly, less than 1% of all cancer clinical trials are conducted in Africa, and only about 20% of those are carried out in countries with subjects of African ancestry.

Nigeria’s genetic diversity offers a wealth of possibilities for diverse clinical trials data. The high prevalence of certain diseases presents unique opportunities for relevant clinical research. It’s time for pharmaceutical companies and research institutions to shine a light on Nigeria for potential collaboration. Additionally, there is a need for capacity building through training programs and infrastructure investments to support clinical trial readiness.

During the conference, we emphasized the importance of quality assurance and quality control in clinical trials to ensure compliance, data integrity, patient safety, and valid results. A poor-quality trial is not only a waste of time, money, and resources, but also an unnecessary burden on participants.

The current government has shown significant dedication to improving the outcomes of cancer in Nigeria, and a lot of hard work has been and continues to be invested in this area.

In my view, with strategic investments and thoughtful planning, Nigeria has the potential to make a significant impact in global clinical research, and in turn, improve health outcomes both locally and worldwide.”

Source: Olubukola Ayodele/LinkedIn

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Dr. Olubukola Ayodele is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, specializing in breast and genitourinary malignancies, including germ cell tumors. She is also an honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester and heads the Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Unit at the Leicester Cancer Research Centre. Dr. Ayodele’s work includes numerous publications, clinical trials, and collaborative research projects on molecular drivers and biomarkers in breast cancer. She is a member of ASCO, ESMO, ACP and UKBCG.