Approved Research

Polygenic risk scores in diverse ancestry populations

Lay summary

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)are on the increase worldwide, contributing to high levels of morbidity and mortality, with limited resources among lower-resource populations in North America and Africa to prevent disease, make diagnosis and clinically manage patients. In this study we compare European and non-European ancestry populations to assess and develop polygenic risk scores for NCDs and traits, and to develop analytic approaches for multi-ethnic cohorts leveraging the increased genetic diversity and lower linkage disequilibrium in various genomes. This research will lead to a better understanding of the transferability of polygenic risk scores from discovery to target populations of different ethnicities, informing prevention and diagnostic strategies that could contribute to the development of effective public health policies.