New approaches to disease mapping in admixed populations

Abstract

The increased genetic diversity in populations with recent ancestry from more than one continent may help in the identification of genetic variants underlying disease risk. This Progress article discusses recent developments in methods to study complex traits in these admixed populations, including combining SNP and admixture association signals. Admixed populations such as African Americans and Hispanic Americans are often medically underserved and bear a disproportionately high burden of disease. Owing to the diversity of their genomes, these populations have both advantages and disadvantages for genetic studies of complex phenotypes. Advances in statistical methodologies that can infer genetic contributions from ancestral populations may yield new insights into the aetiology of disease and may contribute to the applicability of genomic medicine to these admixed population groups.