Event | Genomics and Cardiometabolic Disease in Greenland | June 13, 2024
Date: Thursday 13 June 2024, 11:00-13:00
Registration: Hybrid event, in-person at Life Sciences Complex, Karp Auditorium, Room 501 (GCI) and If you wish to attend in person please contact Briana.blair [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Seminar%3A%20Genomics%20and%20Cardiometabolic%20Disease%20in%20Greenland) to register.
The Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine is pleased to invite you to a special two-hour seminar and discussion with Professors Torben Hansen (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen), Marit Eika J酶rgensen (Director of the Steno Diabetes Center Gr酶nland), and Anders Albrechtsen (Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen).
The presenters will discuss work undertaken in the Greenland population over the past decades that has revealed novel genetic variation contributing to cardiometabolic health and disease in Greenlanders. Some of the variants are population-specific whereas others are disproportionately more common in the Greenland population. Elucidating this genetic susceptibility has contributed to revealing genetic associations not discoverable in outbred populations, and to identifying novel genetic variation that improve our understanding of molecular disease mechanisms and reveal novel targets for treatment and prevention. These studies have also provided examples of true precision medicine, where screening and treatment may be tailored by genotype.
The disproportionate genetic contribution to metabolic health and disease in Greenland underlines the need for equitable access to genomic precision medicine. Efforts are needed to ensure that technical and computational infrastructures are available in Greenland to facilitate genomic analyses. Furthermore, efforts are needed worldwide that ensure that underrepresented populations have access to genomic research as it is clear that research in populations beyond those with European ancestry are valuable both within and beyond the given population.
