African genomics research is growing: what countries are doing to connect genetic data and healthcare
Originally published by The Conversation – Articles (AFRICA) — Read the original article →
Much of what scientists know about how genetic differences affect health comes from studying populations outside Africa. This matters because genetic information is increasingly being used to understand disease, interpret genetic tests and, in some cases, guide treatment.
Africa has the greatest human genetic diversity in the world, yet African populations remain poorly represented in global genomic research. A genome is the complete set of DNA carried by a person. Only about 0.15% of participants in genome-wide association studies, which look for links between genetic differences and disease, are from Africa. When most of the evidence comes from populations elsewhere, some findings can be harder to interpret for African patients.
For example, researchers found that some genetic changes previously reported as causing an inherited heart condition in people of African ancestry were actually harmless. Those errors were easier to detect once more genetic information from people of African ancestry became available.
