Discussion
This collection offers a renewable, genetically diverse resource to investigate disease pathogenicity in African populations, facilitating breakthroughs in neurodegenerative research, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine.
Methods
To address this gap, we established an open-access African Somatic and Stem Cell Bank.
Results
In this initial phase, we generated 10 rigorously characterized iPSC lines from fibroblasts representing five Nigerian ethnic groups and both sexes. These lines underwent extensive profiling for pluripotency, genetic stability, differentiation potential, and Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease risk variants. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to introduce frontotemporal dementia-associated MAPT mutations (P301L and R406W).