Africans make up a tiny portion of genomics data: Why there’s an urgent need for change - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

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A group of Nigerian scientists established a Noncommunicable Diseases Genetic Heritage Study with the aim to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variations.

, one of the leaders of the consortium, to explain what they are doing and why.Until recently, only about 3% of genomic data being used for genome-wide association studies came from people of African descent. Unfortunately, this proportion has fallen even further, to 1.1% in 2021. This means people of African descent may miss out on the potential benefits of genomic research, including early detection of disease and rational drug design.

The other aim is to assess Nigeria’s burden of disease. We’re looking at things like haematological cancers and cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, metabolic, kidney function and sickle cell disorders. We will also be fostering a scientific community that will empower African genomics scientists to be leaders in the genomic world. We want more people in Africa to be in a position to write the continent’s own genomics agenda.First, Nigeria has one of the most diverse ethnolinguistic concentrations in the world, with more than 300 ethnic groups and 500 languages. This diversity is taken as a proxy for potential genetic diversity, as seen in other populations.

We are poised to provide information that could be used to develop tools for the early detection of diseases, disease prevention strategies and treatment options.Our effort will complement other initiatives like H3Africa, Uganda Genome Resource and a few others.

 

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