Kenyans pooled in key genes study

Some Kenyans from Webuye and Kinyawa near the Kenya-Tanzania border have become part of what could be one of the greatest scientific studies this decade.

The two groups, who are part of a sample selected from various parts of the world, have had their genes decoded and now form part of the most advanced edition of the human genetic map, also known as the Book of Life.

The decoding of the human genetic map first hit global headlines in June 2000 and was described as the most significant scientific landmark of all time, comparable to the invention of the wheel or the splitting of the atom.

It has been predicted that over the coming decades this information could revolutionise the study and development of medicine, giving the world new tests and drugs for previously untreatable diseases.

Now the Luhya and Masaais of Kenya become part of 11 global communities whose genetic information is helping researchers find common and rarer genetic variants associated with complex diseases.

Using the information the researchers, who include Mr Duncan Ngare, of Moi University, Eldoret, last week published the third and latest generation map of the human genes.