Genetics studies are too white – that’s failing people and science

Three-quarters of people in studies linking genetics and health are of white European descent, leading us to miss vital clues, says researcher Scott Williams

Wavebreakmedia/Getty

By Scott Williams

We are at the beginning of a revolution in medicine, in which a burgeoning knowledge of the genetics of disease promises treatments tailored to individual needs. But there is a big obstacle in the way: our failure to incorporate diverse, representative populations in our studies. The incomplete knowledge of the genetics of disease and treatment response across populations is not only affecting treatment outcomes for individuals – it is also hampering our understanding of the basic science.

Genetic research includes several types of studies. Recently, genome-wide association studies …