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The Illusion of Inclusion - Keoplu Fox, PhD title in NEJM
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New Research
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Will the benefits of genomics research reach “All of Us”?

One approach to identifying new potential drug targets, Dr. Keolu Fox, a human geneticist in the Indigenous Futures Lab at the University of California, San Diego claims, is adding genetic information to existing biobanks from populations whose genomes have not yet been sequenced. However, it is not clear that any of the drugs developed using research on the genomes of Indigenous peoples will lead to direct benefits for those communities--for example: subsidized medications, royalties, or intellectual-property rights. Because of the fraught history of genetic studies involving tribal communities, Indigenous peoples are wary of participating in genomics research. This could make it difficult for the new National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us program to meet its commitment to recruiting at least 50% of this program’s participants from underrepresented minority populations, including U.S. Indigenous communities (Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians). Fox suggests that recruitment could be facilitated by including Indigenous people in the development of policies concerning data access, data use, and intellectual property. 

JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Illusion of Inclusion — The “All of Us” Research Program and Indigenous Peoples’ DNA

Keolu Fox, Ph.D. 

N Engl J Med 2020

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