Genomic medicine must reduce, not compound, health inequities: the case for hauora-enhancing genomic resources for New Zealand.

Genomic medicine must reduce, not compound, health inequities: the case for hauora-enhancing genomic resources for New Zealand. N Z Med J. 2018 Aug 17;131(1480):81-89 Authors: Robertson SP, Hindmarsh JH, Berry S, Cameron VA, Cox MP, Dewes O, Doughty RN, Gray G, Jacobsen JC, Laurence A, Matisoo-Smith E, Morton S, Shelling AN, Sika-Paotonu D, Rolleston A, Skinner JR, Snell RG, Sporle A, Print C, Merriman TR, Hudson M, Wilcox P Abstract Precision medicine seeks to draw on data from both individuals and populations across disparate domains to influence and support diagnosis, management and prevention in healthcare at the level of the individual patient and their family/whānau. Central to this initiative is incorporating the effects of the inherent variation that lies within genomes and can influence health outcomes. Identifying and interpreting such variation requires an accurate, valid and representative dataset to firstly define what variants are present and then assess the potential relevance for the health of a person, their family/whānau and the wider community to which they belong. Globally the variation embedded within genomes differs enormously and has been shaped by the size, constitution, historical origins and evolutionary history of their source populations. Māori, and more broadly Pacific peoples, differ substantially in terms of genomic variation compared to the more closely studied European and Asian populations. In the...
Source: New Zealand Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Tags: N Z Med J Source Type: research