NATURE REVIEWS: The road ahead in genetics and genomics

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nature Reviews Genetics, 12 leading researchers were asked to reflect on the key challenges and opportunities faced by the field of genetics and genomics. One of these researchers was Ambroise Wonkam, Professor of Medical Genetics & Deputy Dean Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences, who said: 

"As a consequence of the 300,000–500,000 years of genomic history of modern humans in Africa, ancestral African populations are
the most genetically diverse in the world. By contrast, there is an extreme genetic bottleneck, resulting in much less variation,
in all non- African populations...."

"The scientific imperative of genomic research of African populations is expected to enhance genetic medicine knowledge and
practice in Africa but will face the challenges of overburdened and under- resourced public health- care systems, and often absent ethical,legal and social implication frameworks..."

"equitable access for Africans is essential if African genomics is to reach its full potential as the next frontier of global genetic medicine". 

The Viewpoint article published in Nature Genetics Reviews on 24 August 2020, is available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-020-0272-6