Working with collaborators from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Rohini Janivara and other members of the Lachance Lab completed the first pan-African GWAS of prostate cancer. Key findings include the discovery of private (i.e., Africa-specific) alleles that increase the risk of prostate cancer and evidence that the genetic basis of this disease varies across the continent. Evolutionary analyses also revealed that recent mutations and population bottlenecks contribute to continental differences in the genetic architecture of prostate cancer. This study underscores the importance of conducting genetic analyses in diverse human populations.
Find full paper in Nature Genetics: “Heterogeneous genetic architectures of prostate cancer susceptibility in sub-Saharan Africa”
Research briefing: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-024-01932-2.
(image created by Mimi Holness)
October 15, 2024