Access to Precision Medicine: Genomics is failing on Diversity
Reporter: Aviva Lev- Ari, PhD, RN
Genomics is failing on diversity
An analysis by Alice B. Popejoy and Stephanie M. Fullerton indicates that some populations are still being left behind on the road to precision medicine.
A 2009 analysis revealed that 96% of participants in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were of European descent1. Such studies scan the genomes of thousands of people to find variants associated with disease traits. The finding prompted warnings that a much broader range of populations should be investigated2 to avoid genomic medicine being of benefit merely to “a privileged few”.
SOURCE
http://www.nature.com/news/genomics-is-failing-on-diversity-1.20759
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