Tracing detailed ancestral roots across Africa, the Americas, and Europe
Official title: Unraveling subcontinental ancestries across Africa, Americas and Europe, and implications for admixture/association mapping of complex traits
Funded at Morehouse School of Medicine · NIH-11308787 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at finer-scale ancestral origins across Africa, the Americas, and Europe to make genetic findings fairer and more accurate for people with mixed ancestry.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Morehouse School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $248,802 |
| NIH project number | 4R00HG012211-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308787 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with African, African American, Latino, or other mixed ancestries who can share genetic data or participate through biobanks.
✕Less likely to help
People without diverse or admixed ancestry, or those looking for immediate changes to their medical care, are unlikely to receive direct personal benefits from this research.
What this research studies
If you have African, African American, Latino, or other mixed ancestry, this project looks at the finer-scale ancestral origins in your DNA instead of treating whole continents as uniform. Researchers will analyze large genetic datasets and compare chromosomal segments (local ancestry) to better map which ancestral backgrounds are linked to specific genetic signals. They will apply admixture mapping and improved reference panels, often using data sources such as the All of Us Research Program, to include underrepresented groups. The aim is to reduce bias in genetic studies and improve how risk and genetic effects are estimated for admixed populations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make genetic risk findings more accurate and equitable for people with African and admixed ancestries.
How similar studies have gone: Admixture mapping and local-ancestry methods have previously found ancestry-linked genetic signals, but applying them at fine subcontinental scales is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Morehouse School of Medicine
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gouveia, Mateus Henrique — Morehouse School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Gouveia, Mateus Henrique
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.