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We need more-diverse biobanks to improve behavioural genetics

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Biobanks have emerged as valuable resources for studying behavioural and social genomics, but are not representative of global populations. Thus, current research findings do not generalize, and exacerbate knowledge and health inequalities. We call on researchers, publishers and funders to address barriers to biobank diversity.

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Fig. 1: Composition of biobank participants over time as compared to regional and global populations.
Fig. 2: Comparison of socioeconomic and exposure factors between participants of All of Us and the UK Biobank.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health NHGRI under award number T32HG010464 (to Y.H.), and National Institute of Mental Health under award number K99/R00MH117229 (to A.R.M.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Yixuan He & Alicia R. Martin

  2. Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Yixuan He & Alicia R. Martin

  3. Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Yixuan He & Alicia R. Martin

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  1. Yixuan He
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  2. Alicia R. Martin
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Correspondence to Alicia R. Martin.

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He, Y., Martin, A.R. We need more-diverse biobanks to improve behavioural genetics. Nat Hum Behav 8, 197–200 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01795-3

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