Making glaucoma genetic studies more diverse. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38242084/)

These scientists wanted to learn more about a disease called glaucoma, which affects people's eyes. They noticed that this disease is more common in people with African ancestry, but most of the previous studies on glaucoma involved people with European ancestry.

So, these scientists decided to do a new study specifically with people of African ancestry. They wanted to find out if there are any specific genes or genetic factors that might be linked to glaucoma in these individuals.

To do this, they collected a lot of genetic information from many people with African ancestry who had glaucoma. They also collected genetic information from people without glaucoma to compare.

Then, they analyzed all the genetic information they collected and looked for any patterns or differences between the two groups. They found that there were some similarities between their study and the previous studies done on people with European ancestry.

This means that some of the genes or genetic factors that are linked to glaucoma are similar in both groups. But, they also found some new information specific to people of African ancestry, which helped them refine a score that can predict the risk of developing glaucoma in African individuals.

Overall, this study helped the scientists understand more about glaucoma in people with African ancestry and how it relates to their genes. This knowledge can help doctors and researchers develop better treatments and ways to prevent this eye disease in the future.

Mackey DA., Staffieri SE. Making glaucoma genetic studies more diverse. Cell. 2024 Jan 18;187(2):273-275. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.023.