ABSTRACT - Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Core The Human Virome Program (HVP) will build on its predecessors, the Human Genome Program (HGP) and the Human Microbiome Program (HMP), which also enrolled large and diverse cohorts of human participants and used DNA sequencing to characterize key aspects of human biology. Such deep characterization is critical for understanding and improving human health, but also might pose risks to individual participants, their communities, and researchers and funders involved in the work.
Due to advances in genomic sequencing and reduced costs, the development of statistical techniques and technologies for analysis of large datasets, and a scientific interest in population-specific knowledge of the genetic and environmental bases of human diseases, Africa has witnessed an exponential increase in genomic research on the continent.
Puerto Ricans are especially at risk of experiencing distributive injustice, or the structural exclusion from participating in genetic research that could potentially benefit them.