Oakland University professor filling world’s largest gap in human genome map – The Oakland Press

A visiting professor at Oakland University has spent the last six years mapping human genomes in Russia in an attempt to fill in the blanks for the worlds ninth most populous country.

Taras Oleksyk, assistant professor of biological sciences, and a team of international scientists launched the project with the goal of charting the genetic diversity of several populations in Russia. Their findings were recently published in the scientific journal Genomics.

As people have spread across the world over centuries, they have gained different genetic characteristics, either at random or due to adaptation to their local environments. These differences are crucial for understanding who people are and where they came from, Oleksyk said. Russia is a treasure trove of previously undescribed genetic variations. Mapping them will allow scientists to chart the vast genetic diversity of Russian populations and fill in the largest gap on the genetic map of humankind.

The DNA of 264 adults in six geographic areas has been so far mapped for the project, including Western Russia and the Yakutia region of Eastern Siberia.

We established the borders to show areas where people are more genetically similar to each other sort of like genetic countries, Oleksyk said. This shows that history and geography shape our genomes. Where we are from largely defines the genetic characteristics we carry. And that has important implications, particularly for genes that influence our health.

The study found correlations of higher risk for certain diseases to geographic proximity with neighboring regions. In Yakutia, the researchers found the population was at a higher risk for lactose intolerance and a slower response to blood thinners, matching with genome mapping results from east Asia.

The goal is to give doctors the ability to tailor medical treatments to their patients genetic profile, Oleksyk said. For example, making sure that patients dont have a genetic predisposition that prevents them from metabolizing certain drugs. We need genome maps in order to lay the groundwork for this type of personalized medicine.

The full study can be found at sciencedirect.com.

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Oakland University professor filling world's largest gap in human genome map - The Oakland Press