Lack Of Diversity In Genomic Databases Is A Barrier To Translating Precision Medicine Research Into Practice

Latrice G Landry¹, Nadya Ali², David R Williams³, Heidi L Rehm⁴, Vence L Bonham⁵

Affiliations

¹ Latrice G. Landry ( Latrice_Landry@hms.harvard.edu ) is a fellow in the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Partners Personalized Medicine, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in the Office of Minority Health, Food and Drug Administration, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
² Nadya Ali is an MD candidate in the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, in East Lansing.
³ David R. Williams is a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts, and in the Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University, in Cambridge.
⁴ Heidi L. Rehm is the chief genomic officer in the Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, and medical director of the Broad Institute Clinical Research Sequencing Platform, in Cambridge.
⁵ Vence L. Bonham is an associate investigator in the Social and Behavioral Research Branch, Division of Intramural Research, and senior adviser to the director on genomics and health disparities at the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland.

PMID: 29733732
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1595

Lack Of Diversity In Genomic Databases Is A Barrier To Translating Precision Medicine Research Into Practice

Latrice G Landry et al. Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 May.

. 2018 May;37(5):780-785.

doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1595.

Authors

Latrice G Landry¹, Nadya Ali², David R Williams³, Heidi L Rehm⁴, Vence L Bonham⁵

Affiliations

¹ Latrice G. Landry ( Latrice_Landry@hms.harvard.edu ) is a fellow in the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Partners Personalized Medicine, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in the Office of Minority Health, Food and Drug Administration, in Silver Spring, Maryland.
² Nadya Ali is an MD candidate in the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, in East Lansing.
³ David R. Williams is a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston, Massachusetts, and in the Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University, in Cambridge.
⁴ Heidi L. Rehm is the chief genomic officer in the Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, and medical director of the Broad Institute Clinical Research Sequencing Platform, in Cambridge.
⁵ Vence L. Bonham is an associate investigator in the Social and Behavioral Research Branch, Division of Intramural Research, and senior adviser to the director on genomics and health disparities at the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland.

PMID: 29733732
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1595

Abstract

Precision medicine is predicted to revolutionize the clinical practice of medicine, in part by using molecular biomarkers to assess patients' risk, prognosis, and therapeutic response more precisely. However, reliance on biomarkers could present challenges for diverse populations that are not equitably represented in precision medicine research. We examined the populations included in genomic studies whose data were available in the following two public databases: the Genome-Wide Association Study Catalog and the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes. We found significantly fewer studies of African, Latin American, and Asian ancestral populations in comparison to European populations. These patterns were consistent across both data types and disease areas. While the number of genomic research studies that include non-European populations is modestly improving, the overall numbers are still low, and decisive action is needed now to implement the changes necessary for realizing the promise of precision medicine for all.

Keywords: Disparities; Diversity; GWAS; Genomics; Personalized Medicine; Precision Medicine; dbGaP.

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Lack Of Diversity In Genomic Databases Is A Barrier To Translating Precision Medicine Research Into Practice

Affiliations

Lack Of Diversity In Genomic Databases Is A Barrier To Translating Precision Medicine Research Into Practice

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Abstract

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