We have all heard of companies like “23andMe” which are supposed to tell us about our genetic identity in exchange for a vial of spit, but there is more in your genetics than just where you come from. Knowing your genetics can help scientists and health professionals make informed health decisions for patients on an individual level. Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi are starting to explore the potential uses of genetics as a predictor of complex diseases using the Emirati genome to inform research.

The UAE Healthy Future Study is a genetic cohort study that aims to get biological samples and lifestyle information from 20,000 UAE nationals by 2021. This project has a few important goals that have scientific, legislative and social implications. An important goal and outcome of the study is building genetic competencies in the UAE research sphere, as well as with health professionals. One scientific aim of the study is to increase the diversity of genomic data that exists for human populations, with a particular focus on the near absence of data from Arabs. Lastly, this study marks an important advancement in understanding the Emirati genome and health as a whole. This understanding is critical, considering the increasing incidence of diabetes, obesity and other cardiometabolic disorders in the Gulf.

The UAE Healthy Future Study is helping to build infrastructure to study genetics and health in the UAE. The many partners of the project have to develop competencies in bioinformatics, health, lab techniques and social outreach. Increasing genetic literacy across the country is also an important outcome of the study. Building the local capacity for this study is essential to the long-term success of the project as well as the understanding of its results. The UAE’s health authorities receive much funding and have the power to make legislation but are still lacking peer-reviewed data on which to base their decisions.

Genetic studies have largely been conducted on individuals of European descent. The “1000 Genomes Project” was an effort by scientists to construct an international reference genome. The project included 26 populations from Japan to Peru, but there were no populations from the Arab world included. Although human genomic research has advanced and diversified since this project’s launch in 2008, there is still a bias towards research of Caucasian populations and/or of European descent.

This homogeneous data source causes problems for genetics research, particularly in the testing of people of other backgrounds than European. While we are all humans and much of our genomes are similar, there are genetic discrepancies between people of different ancestries.

If the databases constructed for genetics research are based on a specific subset of samples, there will be a lack of information regarding three-quarters of the world’s population. Diversity in genomic representation is critical because personalized medicine is at the forefront of many disease prevention and treatment programs. With enough genetic data paired with traits, scientists can look to specific spots in a person’s genome to formulate polygenic risk scores. This rating seeks to describe an individual’s propensity for complex diseases. The rating can help inform decisions on lifestyle and disease prevention, and has the potential to suggest therapies and promote early detection. Unfortunately, the predictive power of polygenic risk scores is not translatable across populations, which leaves less studied populations at a clear disadvantage. The UAE Healthy Future Study aims to start bridging the gap in diversity and generating an Emirati reference genome by which more robust polygenic risk scores can inform future generations to make better health decisions.

Studying the UAE is interesting from a scientific point of view because the Emirati population is admixed, indicating two or more sources of recent ancestry. The Emirati population has also rapidly gone from a more nomadic lifestyle to an urbanized way of living within the past few generations. However, genetics does not change as rapidly, and one of the purported outcomes of this change in lifestyle is an increase in disease. The World Health Organization published data from 2014 that showed an increase in diabetes prevalence in the UAE from 10 to 15 percent in just 20 years. In comparison, the USA prevalence has stayed below 10 percent although there has been a somewhat steady increase over the past 20 years. The change to a more sedentary life does not seem to be enough to explain the rapid insurgence of diabetes and obesity; scientists question whether there exists something in the Emirati genome that is predisposing individuals towards these metabolic disorders.

The pilot study for the UAE Healthy Future Study began in 2015 and the recruitment of participants is currently underway. Once the researchers gather more biological samples, the discoveries can begin to make an impact on a global stage. This research endeavor marks an important milestone for diversification of genomic research as well as an important growth stage for the UAE’s health and genetics infrastructure.