The Million Veteran Program is closing hard-to-fill gaps in DNA research
Scientific studies aimed at unlocking the genetic code of all humans have had problems with their data: it was mostly collected from people with “European” heritage, leaving wide gaps in the study of DNA from populations around the world.
To close the gap, the authors of one recent study turned to military veterans, a group whose health and genetics are well studied during and after military service, and whose genetics come from a wide swath of the world.
Researchers working with the Department of Veterans Affairs were granted access to the VA’s database of DNA known as the Million Veteran Program. Using the DNA database from the VA, researchers found genetic markers for prostate cancer, anemia, Alzheimer’s dementia and cirrhosis, according to a study published in Science.
“Most of the genetic data available to researchers are still derived from individuals of European descent,” researchers wrote. “This shortcoming limits both the biological insights that can be gleaned from these data and their clinical applications to non-European patients, who may not match up well with the traditional study participants.”
