South Africa’s 110 000 Human Genome Project in 2026 – What you need to know

At a time when it was assumed that there would be flying cars and sentient artificial intelligence robots living among humans, South Africa is slowly but surely asserting itself in science, specifically genomic research.

The human genome contains the genetic identification of every cell in the body.

Sequencing these genes not only reveals one’s genealogy but also provides insight into potential illnesses and diseases before they fully manifest. Since establishing the Southern African Human Genome Programme (SAHGP) in 2011, South Africa has been trying to catch up in the genomic research race.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, the amount of genomic information currently known about Africans is only about 3%. Therefore, more clinical and medical research is crucial.

The South African 110 000 Human Genomic Programme is the first national genomic research database, enabling more research into the genetic makeup of diverse African characteristics that is not available elsewhere in the world.

The senior programme manager from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Dr Rizwana Mia, said the research will improve patient treatment. “We actually need to have a population reference to use in the healthcare sector so patients can be evaluated using the latest technology.”

Understanding genomics

In October 2025, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the SAMRC and the international gene sequencing company Illumina. They will collaborate on initiatives that advance genomic and precision medicine research in South Africa.

Genomic research helps us understand the makeup and full function of genes and enables early detection of illnesses from a single molecule. Doctors can then prescribe preventive medication or treatment in the early stages of the disease.

According to the chief director of Bio-Innovation at the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), Ben Durham, “every cell in every living creature has a set of molecules that code for different functions in the body, and that is the DNA”. The collection of this DNA forms the genome of that organism.

The human genome is the collection of genes and DNA in each cell, comprising roughly 23 000 genes. Since most drugs are developed and tested in the global North, the knowledge about the effects of medication on genetics in an African environment is limited and often not as effective.

“Because we don’t have a population registry with this patient, we can’t diagnose or treat a patient without understanding the population they come from, and therefore it is important for us to develop this ecosystem or database of genetic information that can be utilised, not only for research but for health care system and that is the aim,” Mia said.

By participating in the human genome programme, South Africa can begin developing its own technologies and healthcare treatments, specifically for the South African and African populations.

“Our finding in South Africa is that we seem to have a greater variability in these side effects to the extent that some drugs don’t work at all or have more severe side effects,” Durham said.

This is due to the diverse genome that extends far beyond the subset on which these were tested in other parts of the world.

Furthering genomic research would ensure personalised medication for South African citizens in the future.

It also benefits the historical archive, which can be further researched in the clinical and medical department.

“We’ve got different populations that form an exceptional array of genetic diversity compared to the rest of the world that only has a subset of the genome in South Africa,” Durham said.

ALSO READ: Economic growth directly linked to healthcare systems

The project in 2026

This is just five years after technological predictions were made by the American theoretical physicist and science writer, Michio Kaku. In his book Physics of The Future: The Inventions That Will Transform Our Lives, he uncovered the possibility that an individual would be able to possess their entire genomic sequence in a single CD between the years 2025-2030.

Durham and Mia highlighted that the project is still in the early stages of South African gene sequencing.

“We are still learning so much about the human genome.”

This, despite the first structure of DNA being understood in 1950.

In his book, Michio wrote about an audience member who challenged his view, expressing that it already cost $3 billion (at the time) to sequence one person’s genome. They implied that it would be impossible to generalise access to the public in the time frame, as the price could not drop that significantly in a few years. Today, it costs about $200 to $600 to obtain a DNA genome sequence from overseas.

In 2026, it costs a few thousand rands to get your entire human genome sequenced, excluding additional expenses for results, consultation and delivery fees. This still limits most of the South African population’s access to these technologies at this stage.

Durham also pointed out that although there is a lot to look forward to in the project, there are still privacy loopholes in the POPI Act and in insurance companies that might want to take advantage of those archives by viewing members’ medical history, including their genomic data.

Despite this, Mia and Durham are both optimistic about the future of health care in South Africa and are actively working to advance the project by implementing the pilot phase, despite how ambitious the goal may seem.

Every country starts the project aiming to process 100 000 genomes for the archive. South Africa has the goal of sequencing 110 000 human genomes, beginning with the process of collecting 10 000 from a group of people who meet the requirements and agree to participate in the research.