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As part of their quest to reduce health inequalities and end cookie-cutter care, scientists are taking their first look at the genes of nearly 100,000 Americans, considered a uniquely diverse genomics database.
The National Institutes of Health released data Thursday to help researchers begin to unravel how people’s genes, environment, and lifestyles interact to maintain their health. And half of those surveyed are from racial and ethnic groups that have historically been excluded from medical research.
That diversity will “add a kind of information that isn’t there,” he said. NIHThe massive “All of Us” study that aims to finally get such data from 1 million Americans.
He said that so far, more than 90% of people in large genome studies around the world are of European descent, and this lack of diversity has hampered scientific progress.
Researchers are waiting for genetic information to examine some of the most puzzling health disparities.
For example, University of Kansas Medical Center’s Dr. African Americans have a four times higher risk of kidney failure than their white counterparts, “all else being equal,” said Ojo of Akinlo.
“For the first time, we will be able to unravel what the genetic factors are underlying this difference,” he said.
“It’s not just a snapshot of time,” Ojo added, adding that he hopes to follow how genes and other factors work together to explain why some people survive with kidney damage for years while others deteriorate rapidly.
Today’s healthcare is pretty much one size fits all. Most treatments are based on what works best for the average person in short studies of a few hundred or thousand patients.
“All of us” is part of a push towards precision medicine; a way to customize care based on your genes, habits, and the complex combination of factors that determine health, including where you live and age, gender, and socioeconomics.
The study recruits volunteers from all walks of life, both sick and healthy, to share DNA samples, medical records, fitness tracking, and answer health questions. Researchers will also collect environmental information about the participants’ communities.
As the pandemic delays registration, NIH More than 474,000 people have agreed to participate so far, he said, and more than 325,000 have provided blood or saliva samples for researchers to begin analysis.
The database, which opened Thursday, contains the sequence of nearly 100,000 complete genomes of the first volunteers – meaning information on all their genes rather than the more common practice of studying a subset.
As with other genomic programs, NIH The team protects the privacy of study participants by removing all identifying information from the data. US scientists who want to use the database for their research must meet strict requirements.
Participants can request to learn the results of their own genetic testing. Last year, NIH program began broadcasting ancestral information to inquiring participants. Plans are also being made to inform participants who carry some well-known genetic variants that cause inherited diseases or trigger drug problems.
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