What is Professor Christian Happi's $100 million project?

Professor Christian Happi's project, Sentinel, received $100 million to advance virus detection and build genomics capability in Africa.

How does Sentinel combat pandemics in Africa?

Sentinel uses genomics and surveillance to identify pathogens early and trains African scientists to respond to outbreaks effectively.

What impact has Sentinel had on African health?

Sentinel has trained over 3,000 health professionals and was crucial in identifying the initial Ebola outbreak in Nigeria.

Home / Health / African Genomics Leap: $100M Boost for Virus Detection

African Genomics Leap: $100M Boost for Virus Detection

23 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Professor Christian Happi received $100m for pioneering virus detection work.
His project, Sentinel, trains African scientists in genomics across 53 countries.
Sentinel rapidly identified Ebola in Nigeria, preventing a wider outbreak.

African Genomics Leap: $100M Boost for Virus Detection

Cameroonian professor Christian Happi, recognized among Time's 100 most influential people in 2025, has co-founded a project receiving $100 million for its critical virus detection work. This substantial grant, awarded by the US MacArthur foundation, supports Sentinel, an initiative aimed at transforming Africa's genomics capability. Despite global aid cuts impacting health funding, Happi's project is poised for expansion, enabling further training for academics and health professionals across the continent.

Sentinel, a collaborative effort including Nigeria's Institute of Genomics and Global Health and the Broad Institute, uses advanced genomics and surveillance technology to identify new pathogens. Its effectiveness was proven in 2014 when it rapidly confirmed Ebola in Nigeria, allowing for swift mobilization and containment. By 2020, Sentinel was also equipped to quickly sequence the full genome of COVID-19 and later detected Beta and Omicron variants.