Professor Emile Rugamika Chimusa

My research has a focus on methodologies of improving the analysis of large-scale genomic studies such as genome-wide association, fine-mapping studies, admixture mapping, genomics of mixed ancestry populations and analysing genome wide patterns of variation within and between species to address fundamental questions in biology, anthropology, and medicine. My interest is to unlock genomics in healthcare through computational and statistical methods to understand the genomics and environment architecture of complex diseases, variation in drug/treatment response. This interest is extending in methodologies and developing tools for deconvoluting human genomics diversity to uncover the role of genetic and environmental factors in determining risk and susceptibility of communicable and non-communicable diseases. I develop Bioinformatics methods/tools pertinent to genetic and environmental determinants of susceptibility to complex diseases, drug responses, genome variation, microbial omics, and infectious diseases from both the host and pathogen perspectives to facilitate the transformation of genomics-driven clinical practice.

Our current range of developed Bioinformatics tools from functional genomics, post-Genome-wide Association Studies, disease risk prediction, Gene Ontology semantic similarity can be found at (https://github.com/echimusa).

I am actively involved in the development of bioinformatics and Omics Data Science educational courses to offer a unique opportunity in the use of bioinformatics and computational methods to access and harness large complicated high-throughput data and uncover meaningful information that could be used to understand molecular mechanisms and develop novel targeted therapeutics/diagnostic tools.

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• A novel combination of genomic loci in ITGB2, COL5A1 and VEGFA associated with anterior cruciate ligament rupture susceptibility: insights from Australian, Polish, Swedish, and South African cohorts, Dlamini, S., Saunders, C., Cieszczyk, P., Ficek, K., Häger, C., Stattin, E., Nilsson, K., Eynon, N., Feller, J., Tirosh, O., Bope, C., Chimusa, E., Laguette, M., Collins, M., September, A. 1 Jan 2026, In: Biology of Sport
• Can a bold ‘social contract’ make data sharing more palatable?, Munung, N., Ewuoso, C., Agamah, F., Chimusa, E. 11 Sep 2025, In: Nature
• Cultivating an equity-oriented data sharing culture for African health research initiatives, Munung, N., Ewuoso, C., Chimusa, E., Ogundiran, T. 30 Aug 2025, In: Nature Communications
• Data simulation to optimize frameworks for genome-wide association studies in diverse populations, Mugo, J., Mulder, N., Chimusa, E. 18 Jun 2025, In: Frontiers in Genetics
• Enabling data-driven decision-making for innovative health care and delivery in Africa, Agamah, F., Anyanful, A., Ryabinina, O., Twum, J., Tunga, M., Skelton, M., Bope, C., Chimusa, E., Thomford, N. 16 Dec 2025, In: npj Health Systems
• Exploring erythroid cell transcriptomics to understand regulation of fetal hemoglobin expression for advanced sickle cell disease treatment, Nkya, S., Nzunda, C., Kaywanga, F., Karim, S., Solomon, D., Saukiwa, E., Christopher, H., Ngowi, D., Johansen, J., Urio, F., Mgaya, J., Chamba, C., Hashim, F., Ambrose, E., Acquah, S., Chimusa, E., Makani, J. 5 Dec 2025, In: Human Molecular Genetics
• Exploring pharmacogenetic factors influencing hydroxyurea response in tanzanian sickle cell disease patients: a genomic medicine approach, Nkya, S., Nzunda, C., Saukiwa, E., Kaywanga, F., Buchard, E., Solomon, D., Christopher, H., Ngowi, D., Johansen, J., Urio, F., Mgaya, J., Kindole, C., Yonazi, M., Karim, S., Alimohamed, M., Sangeda, R., Chamba, C., Dandara, C., Novelli, E., Chimusa, E., Makani, J. 23 Apr 2025, In: Pharmacogenomics Journal
• FLT1 and other candidate fetal haemoglobin modifying loci in sickle cell disease in African ancestries, Wonkam, A., Esoh, K., Levine, R., Ngo Bitoungui, V., Mnika, K., Nimmagadda, N., Dempsey, E., Nkya, S., Sangeda, R., Nembaware, V., Morrice, J., Osman, F., Beer, M., Makani, J., Mulder, N., Lettre, G., Steinberg, M., Latanich, R., Casella, J., Drehmer, D., Arking, D., Chimusa, E., Yen, J., Newby, G., Antonarakis, S. 1 Mar 2025, In: Nature Communications
• Health data science revolution in Africa: potential for addressing the myriad health challenges, Amegah, A., Kyobutungi, C., Chimusa, E. 5 Dec 2025, In: Nature Communications
• NOS3 rs3918188C>A is associated with susceptibility to resistant hypertension while CES1 genetic variation was not associated with resistant hypertension among South Africans, Katsukunya, J., Naicker, R., Soko, N., Blom, D., Sinxadi, P., Chimusa, E., Rayner, B., Jones, E., Dandara, C. 4 Jun 2025, In: Frontiers in Genetics

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Organising a conference, workshop, ...: 4th African Symposium on Big Data, Analytics and Machine Intelligence, and 18th TYAN International Thematic Virtual Workshop 2025
• Organising a conference, workshop, ...: AI and Data Science in Multi-Omics for Human Health 2023

Bioinformatics PhD July 01 2013

• Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
• Visit out Genomics Tools on Github