Research
TOMBio conducts research across three interconnected themes, supported by cross-cutting molecular and translational biosciences. Individual projects may concentrate within one theme or connect scientific questions across several.
Non-Communicable Diseases and Metabolic Health
This theme investigates the biological, nutritional and population-level determinants of non-communicable diseases, with particular attention to metabolic disorders relevant to African populations. Research connects molecular and biomarker-based approaches with clinical, dietary and community-level determinants of health.
Investigating the relationships among diet, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular risk and related metabolic disorders across different African populations and settings.
Identifying and evaluating the molecular, immunological and metabolic biomarkers associated with disease susceptibility, early detection and progression.
Examining how diet, gut microbial communities and microbial metabolites contribute to metabolic health and to non-communicable disease risk.
Food Systems, Microbiomes and Health
This theme investigates biological and microbial processes across traditional and contemporary African food systems, including fermentation, food safety, indigenous foods and locally adapted food practices, and examines their relationships with nutritional quality, microbial diversity and human health.
Particular attention is given to place-based knowledge and innovation, recognising that indigenous foods, locally adapted crops, fermentation systems and preservation practices emerge within specific ecological, cultural and socioeconomic settings.
Investigating microbial diversity, microbial interactions, adaptation and functional properties within fermented foods, indigenous vegetables and other traditional African food systems, and examining how place-based knowledge shapes production and processing practices.
Examining microbial contamination, preservation, processing and storage practices, and developing locally relevant innovations that improve food safety, nutritional quality and resilience while building on established community knowledge.
Investigating the relationships among traditional foods, dietary patterns, food-associated microorganisms, gut microbiomes, nutrition and metabolic health, with attention to how local food environments shape those relationships.
Traditional African foods provide valuable real-world systems through which place-based knowledge can be integrated with molecular, microbial and nutritional science to support food safety, healthier diets and resilient food systems.
Community Health and Primary Healthcare Systems
This theme investigates how community and primary healthcare systems influence disease prevention, early detection, access to care, continuity of care and health outcomes.
Particular attention is given to how service-delivery structures, community interventions, policy environments and health-system capacity respond to changing population health needs, including the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases.
Examining how community health workers, primary healthcare structures, referral pathways, service-delivery models and community-facility relationships influence access, quality, continuity of care and health outcomes.
Developing and evaluating approaches to health promotion, risk assessment, screening, early detection, referral and the long-term management of non-communicable diseases within community and primary healthcare settings.
Examining policy environments, governance and health-system constraints, and applying implementation research, stakeholder engagement, systems thinking and modelling to identify bottlenecks, leverage points and evidence for planning and resource-allocation decisions.
This theme connects population health needs with the organisation, governance and delivery of healthcare, creating pathways through which molecular, nutritional and epidemiological evidence can inform interventions, service delivery and health-system decision-making.
Molecular and Translational Biosciences
Molecular and translational biosciences provide the methodological foundation that links TOMBio's research themes, rather than functioning as a separate disease area. Approaches are selected according to the research question.
TOMBio combines locally available infrastructure with specialised national and international scientific platforms where appropriate. This allows technologies to be selected according to the research question, rather than requiring every capability to exist within a single institution.
Research in progress
TOMBio's scientific direction is developed through individual and collaborative projects aligned with these themes. We welcome scientifically complementary collaborations that strengthen research questions, methods, capacity development and translation.