MS at the Limits 2022 | Challenges in including ethnic diversity in MS genetic studies

Benjamin Jacobs, BMBCh. MRCOP, MSc, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK, addresses the challenges of carrying out multiple sclerosis (MS) genetic studies in under-represented backgrounds. For genetics studies, in general, you need a very large patient cohort to obtain statistically meaningful results, which the international consortium has achieved for populations of European ancestry. Therefore, the main barriers to the inclusion of participants of non-European ancestry are time and money; however, the prevalence of MS also plays a role. Until recently, MS has been underdiagnosed in populations of south Asian and African backgrounds; hence, patient availability has been a key barrier until now. This interview took place during the 2022 Multiple Sclerosis at the Limits Conference in London, UK.

These works are owned by Magdalen Medical Publishing (MMP) and are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All rights are reserved.