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'Race', 'Ethnicity', Genetics and Health at the Dawn of the Genome

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'Race', 'Ethnicity', Genetics and Health at the Dawn of the Genome COMMENTARY What we do and don’t know about ‘race’, ‘ethnicity’, genetics and health at the dawn of the genome era Francis S Collins A true understanding of disease risk requires a thorough examination of root causes. 'Race' and 'ethnicity' are poorly defined terms that serve as flawed surrogates for multiple environmental and genetic factors in disease causation, http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics including ancestral geographic origins, socioeconomic status, education and access to health care. Research must move beyond these weak and imperfect proxy relationships to define the more proximate factors that influence health. A small meeting convened at the National information about human genetic variation same part of the world3. As those ancestral Human Genome Center at Howard are coming to light. Many of the salient points origins in many cases have a correlation, albeit University in Washington, D.C., on 15 May made by participants in this meeting were often imprecise, with self-identified race or 2003, titled “Human Genome Variation and captured in the preceding articles. ethnicity, it is not strictly true that race or eth- ‘Race’: The State of the Science,” marked an The meeting at Howard University focused nicity has no biological connection. It must be important, positive milestone in the turbu- on exactly the right questions. What does the emphasized, however, that the connection is lent history of genetics, race and ethnicity. current body of scientific information say generally quite blurry because of multiple Experts in sociology, anthropology, history about the connections among race, ethnicity, other nongenetic connotations of race, the and genetics gathered together to discuss, in genetics and health? What remains unknown? lack of defined boundaries between popula- © 2004 Nature Publishing Group an honest and unemotional way, the sub- What additional research is needed? How can tions and the fact that many individuals have stance of what we know and what we don’t this information be applied to benefit human ancestors from multiple regions of the world. know about the connections between genetics health? How might this information be and race. The few meetings held in the past applied in nonmedical settings? How can we Race and health disparities decade to discuss this highly charged topic adopt policies that will achieve beneficial What about health disparities? Are genetic have often been unsatisfactory, either because societal outcomes? differences between populations likely to have participants with strong opinions tended to a role in health status, both in the US and talk past each other or, more commonly, Is race biologically meaningless? around the world? In many instances, the because heightened sensitivity to the possibil- First, it is essential to point out that ‘race’ and causes of health disparities will have little to ity of giving inadvertent offense caused those ‘ethnicity’ are terms without generally agreed- do with genetics, but rather derive from dif- present to speak only in politically correct upon definitions. Both terms carry complex ferences in culture, diet, socioeconomic sta- generalities. As a historically black university, connotations that reflect culture, history, tus, access to health care, education, Howard University served science and society socioeconomics and political status, as well as environmental exposures, social marginaliza- by sponsoring this frank discussion, and the a variably important connection to ancestral tion, discrimination, stress and other factors4. National Human Genome Center’s leaders geographic origins. Well-intentioned state- Yet it would be incorrect to say that genetics are to be congratulated for their vision in ments over the past few years, some coming never has a role in health disparities. This is putting together such a thought-provoking from geneticists, might lead one to believe most obvious in the unequal distribution of agenda at a time when large amounts of new there is no connection whatsoever between disease-associated alleles for certain recessive self-identified race or ethnicity and the fre- disorders, such as sickle cell disease or Tay- 1,2 National Human Genome Research Institute, quency of particular genetic variants . Sachs disease, but has also been noted National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Increasing scientific evidence, however, indi- recently for certain nonmendelian disorders, Maryland 20892, USA. Correspondence should cates that genetic variation can be used to such as Crohn disease5. be addressed to F.S.C. ([email protected]). make a reasonably accurate prediction of geo- The question of whether genetics will Published online 26 October 2004; graphic origins of an individual, at least if that explain a substantial proportion of health dis- doi:10.1034/ng1436 individual’s grandparents all came from the parities for most common diseases is largely NATURE GENETICS SUPPLEMENT VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 11 | NOVEMBER 2004 S13 COMMENTARY vidual’s genome. Likewise, genome-wide variation correlates, albeit with far-from-per- fect accuracy, with variation at specific loci associated with disease. Those variants inter- act with multiple environmental variables, with the ultimate outcome being health or disease. Considered in this context, it is apparent why self-identified race or ethnicity might be correlated with health status, through genetic or nongenetic surrogate relationships or a combination of the two. It is also evident that a true understanding of disease risk requires us to go well beyond these weak and imper- fect proxy relationships. And if we are not sat- isfied with the use of imperfect surrogates in trying to understand hereditary causes, then we should not be satisfied with them as mea- sures of environmental causation either. What additional research is needed? The recent National Human Genome Research Institute’s “Vision for the Future of http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics Genomics Research”9 outlined a bold agenda for the future, including a number of com- pelling research opportunities. The meeting at Howard University underscored the importance of additional research in certain crucial areas: (i) Without discounting self-identified race or ethnicity as a variable correlated with Figure 1 Interconnections between self-identified race or ethnicity and health status. The undeniable health, we must strive to move beyond these existence of health disparities indicates that there is a correlation between self-identified race or ethnicity and health or disease in some cases. But this is a complex and poorly understood relationship. weak surrogate relationships and get to the On the left side of the diagram, multiple environmental factors that are influenced by race and root causes of health and disease, be they ethnicity, and that potentially contribute to health disparities, are depicted. On the right side, the genetic, environmental or both. potential genetic contribution to health disparities, which operates through a series of proxy (ii) To determine accurate risk factors for © 2004 Nature Publishing Group relationships, is depicted. To unravel the real causes, research into health disparities must move disease, we need to carry out well-designed, beyond weakly correlated variables, such as self-identified race or ethnicity, towards an understanding large-scale studies in multiple populations. of the more proximate environmental and genetic factors. Such studies must be equally rigorous in their collection of genetic and environmental data. If only genetic factors are considered, only unanswered and will be clarified only by fur- doing a disservice to the public. Detractors genetic factors will be discovered. ther research studies of many populations. argue that race and ethnicity are such flawed (iii) To validate quantitative conclusions Given that the frequency of many genetic concepts that the persistent use of such about genes, environment and their interac- variants is not equal in all parts of the world6, descriptors prolongs the delay in seeking real tions in health and disease for multiple however, genetic variations conferring disease causes and lends more scientific validity to groups, long-term, longitudinal prospective susceptibility are expected to be unequally the race-health connection than it deserves. cohort studies, as well as carefully designed distributed, at least in some cases. After reviewing these arguments and listen- case-control studies, will be needed10. ing to the debate during the meeting at (iv) We must continue to support efforts to Finding common ground Howard University, one could conclude that define the nature of human variation across A vigorous debate has raged in the scientific both points are correct. The relationship the world, focused primarily on medical and medical literature over the last few years between self-identified race or ethnicity and goals. The International Human Haplotype about whether there is any value in using self- disease risk can be depicted as a series of sur- Map Project11 will open a new window into identified race or ethnicity to identify factors rogate relationships (Fig. 1). On the non- human variation and generate a powerful tool that contribute to health or disease7,8. genetic side of this diagram, race carries with for discovering disease associations, but the Proponents of maintaining such identifiers it certain social, cultural, educational and project will provide a resource, not all of the argue that even if the genetic component of economic
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