After an extensive experience with several health institutions in England and the United States, Abasi Ene-Obong returned to Nigeria to advance the fight against cancer in Africa. His achievements are gaining increasing recognition and earning him numerous accolades. 

Abasi Ene-Obong (photo) is a Nigerian doctor and founder of biotech firm 54Gene, which wants to ‘bridge the disparity gap in genomics data.’  Using translational research and advanced molecular diagnostics, the biotech launched in 2019 also helps fight cancer in Africa and around the world. 

“Though the arc of conducting early research through drug approval can belong in biotech, we have taken the approach to building the backbone that is needed for short-term successes to long-term gains that provide better healthcare delivery and treatment outcomes from diseases,” Eno-Obong told Techcrunch. 

 A Ph.D. holder (in cancer biology from the University of London), the founder has a master's in Human Molecular Genetics (in 2009) from the Imperial College, London. Before founding 54Gene, Abasi Ene-Obong worked as a cancer researcher and published a paper on pancreatic cancer immunology in the Gastroenterology Journal. From 2014 to 2015, he was a research director and consultant for IMS Health (now known as IQVIA), a U.S.-based company offering information, services, and technology in the healthcare industry. 

Months later, he became a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) senior associate and healthcare industry advisor in the U.S.  In 2017, he spent months as a Lead Consultant for Nigeria's Strategic Health Development Plan. In 2019, Quartz Africa named him one of the most innovative entrepreneurs on the African continent of the year.  In September 2020, months after the launch of 54Gene, Abasi Ene-Obong was named in Fortune’s 40 under 40 most influential people in healthcare. The same year, his startup, 54Gene, received the Best Healthcare Technology Solution award from AppsAfrica.

In September 2021, 54Gene raised US$25 million during a series B round led by Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund. The operation, which was the third organized by the startup since its creation, brought the overall volume of funding secured to over US$45 million. It was aimed at expanding “54gene's capabilities in sequencing, target identification and validation, and precision medicine clinical trials enabling drug discovery in Africa for both Africans and the global population,” and enabling the startup to “begin its expansion across the African continent.”

"It's truly incredible to witness the impact of African scientists in global research and it is critical to global health that this continues. We want to scale our contribution to global drug discovery by extensively developing life science capabilities on the continent and this additional capital will catalyze our endeavors," Ene-Obong said 

Three months later, he created the African Center for Translational Genomics (ACTG), a genetic database managed by the Non-Communicable Diseases-Genetic Heritage Study consortium. 

Melchior Koba