Genetics and Disease

Genetic studies provide important contributions to health research; however, the vast majority of participants are from the European population groups. There are few studies with participants from the African continent, with the majority being African-American, leaving a significant proportion of the African continent essentially unexplored. Africa has greater genetic diversity than any other continent and is the root of human origin, thus will provide extremely valuable knowledge and understanding on the genetic basis of disease. The current disparity in population diversity of genetic studies can cause issues in health research since the outcomes will be far less accurate for individuals from African populations. The focus of this group is to determine the role of genetics in various disease outcomes in the African population, under the leadership of Professor Michael S. Pepper.