Meharry Medical College, along with partners Regeneron Genetics
Center® (RGC™), AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and Roche, today
announced the launch of the Together for CHANGE™ (“Changing
Healthcare for People of African Ancestry through an InterNational
Genomics & Equity”) initiative to create better health care and
outcomes for all.
The Together for CHANGE initiative seeks to address inequities
in STEM careers and research with a two-pronged approach. First,
the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute (DHGI) will establish a grant
program to support research and educational capacity in genomics
and related fields at Meharry Medical College, as well as broader
STEM programs in racially diverse communities for grade school-aged
children. Second, in close consultation with the local Black
community through listening sessions and ongoing input, the DHGI
will help facilitate the building of the largest African ancestry
genomics research database, composed of de-identified genomic and
phenotypic data from up to 500,000 volunteer participants.
Meharry Medical College, one of the oldest and largest
historically Black academic health sciences centers in the U.S., is
a co-founder and academic convener of this initiative. The DHGI, a
newly chartered non-profit organization, will serve as the
governing organization for Together for CHANGE. Data collected from
the Together for CHANGE initiative will be secured and managed by
the DHGI to ensure the integrity and transparency of all activities
of the initiative.
Additionally, the DHGI will form an ethics committee with
leaders from the Black community to provide stewardship of the
data. Accenture will also provide support as a strategic partner to
the DHGI as the program rolls out.
“Historically, African Americans have been – and continue to be
– underrepresented in scientific and medical research, as well as
in STEM careers, negatively impacting both health outcomes and
career opportunities for this population,” said James E.K. Hildreth
Sr., Ph.D., M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Meharry
Medical College. “Working with our local community and
biopharmaceutical partners, we are eager to bring to life a vision
of more equitable health care through the Together for CHANGE
initiative.”
Meharry worked with Regeneron Genetics Center to convene three
founding partners for the initiative, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk,
and Roche, and welcome participation from additional partners. Each
organization intends to make contributions worth $20 million during
the initiative, with Regeneron Genetics Center also undertaking and
funding the sequencing of genetic samples. The DHGI launch is
underway, with more information about study participation and
grants to be available later this year.
“People of African ancestry have been underrepresented in
genomics studies, which leads to clinical genetic testing that has
less reference data and less confident testing results,” said Aris
Baras, M.D., Senior Vice President, Regeneron, and Head of
Regeneron Genetics Center. “At RGC, we know that genetic databases
function best as global resources when they reflect humanity’s
broad spectrum of ethnic and genetic diversity, so that the
resulting research and medical innovation may benefit all
populations. With one of the most diverse genomic datasets in the
world, we are immensely proud to spearhead this impactful
initiative that aims to shift the makeup of available genetic data
and better equip promising students and researchers to create
much-needed medicines of the future.”
“We are proud to be part of this collaborative initiative that
will strengthen our understanding of human disease and unlock
scientific discovery, prioritizing inclusive science to reduce
healthcare disparities for under-represented populations. This will
enable us to develop medicines that reflect the needs of a diverse
patient population,” said Sharon Barr, Executive Vice President of
BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca.
“The STEM career pipeline is lacking in Black professionals
whose presence will bring more diverse thoughts to solving research
problems, which will better inform care for people of African
ancestry, as well as inspire others to pursue scientific and
medical careers,” said Lyndon Mitnaul, Ph.D., Executive Director,
Research Initiatives, RGC. “Even though similar proportions of
Black and white students start to pursue STEM degrees, far fewer
Black students succeed in achieving them. This initiative is
intentionally designed to inspire new Black scientists and
changemakers.”2
“Through this initiative, several new programs will be launched
to nurture young people throughout their educational pathways,
including the creation of a DNA Learning Center, mentorships, and a
Master of Science program in Genetic Counseling. In addition,
researchers from historically Black colleges and universities and
Africa will have access to the first-ever reference genome of
African ancestry people to build collaborative projects at the
intersection of genomics and health equity research that will
ensure that the breakthroughs represent a healthier future for
everyone, including the global Black communities that have
historically been ignored,” said Anil Shanker, Ph.D., Senior Vice
President for Research and Innovation, Meharry Medical College.
“This partnership provides a unique opportunity to work closely
with the community to build on human genomics datasets and ensure
they become truly representative of a global population, ultimately
enhancing research and improving health outcomes. Diversity is a
fundamental part of inclusive innovative health solutions. By
building a robust STEM pipeline for individuals of African
ancestry, we are ensuring those solutions can become a reality in
the future,” said Marcus Schindler, PhD, Prof., EVP Research &
Early Development and Chief Scientific Officer of Novo Nordisk.
“Roche is fully committed to increasing health equity globally
and reducing inequalities caused by insufficient global populations
in trial and research data, especially as it relates to African
populations. As part of our contribution to the consortium and as a
component of our ongoing African Genomics Program, Roche will be
leading efforts to collect up to 20,000 samples and related
phenotype data from diverse regions of Africa,” said James Sabry,
Global Head of Pharma Partnering, Roche. “We are very excited to
join this initiative with the goal of understanding genetic
diversity within Africa and African-descent populations, and
thereby increasing the opportunities to discover new human biology
and better diagnose, prevent and treat human disease.”
More information can be found at TheDHGI.org.
About the Together for CHANGE InitiativeThe
Together for CHANGE Initiative seeks to address inequities in STEM
careers and research with a two-pronged approach. First, the DHGI
will establish a grant program to support research and educational
capacity in genomics and related fields at HBCUs, as well as
broader STEM programs in minority communities for grade school-aged
children. Providing opportunities throughout an individual’s
educational journey is key, as African Americans are more likely to
attend a high-poverty school where mathematics and sciences scores
are up to 90 points worse than low-poverty schools.3 By the time
students are in undergraduate school, 40 percent of Black students
switch out of STEM majors, compared with 29 percent of White
students,4 and another study found that 54 percent of young
African Americans would be a lot more likely to pursue STEM college
degrees if there were more examples of high achievers in those
fields who were Black.5
Second, in close consultation with the local Black community
through listening sessions and ongoing input, the DHGI will help
facilitate the building of the largest African ancestry genomics
research database, composed of de-identified genomic and phenotypic
data from up to 500,000 volunteer participants. People of African
ancestry represent the most genetically diverse population in the
world, and there is a massive underrepresentation of this group in
available genomic data. The focus on increasing information around
African ancestry strives to improve health outcomes for this
community through deeper understanding of their genetics.
About Meharry Medical CollegeLocated in
Nashville, Tennessee, Meharry Medical College is the nation’s
largest private, independent historically Black academic health
sciences center dedicated to educating physicians, dentists,
researchers, and health policy experts. Founded in 1876 as the
Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, Meharry was the
first medical school in the South for African Americans. It was
chartered separately in 1915.
Today, Meharry includes schools of medicine, dentistry, graduate
studies and applied computational sciences and is home to The
Institute for Global Public Health and Center for Health Policy.
Degrees include Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Dental Surgery
(D.D.S.), Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Health
Science (M.H.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
Meharry is a United Methodist Church related institution. A 2010
study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine ranked Meharry
as one of the nation’s top five producers of primary care
physicians. Meharry is also a leading producer of African Americans
with Ph.Ds. in biomedical sciences.
In addition to providing quality professional health care
education, exemplary patient care, and compassionate community
outreach, Meharry Medical College produces the Journal of Health
Care for the Poor and Underserved, a public health journal.
About the Regeneron Genetics CenterThe
Regeneron Genetics Center LLC (RGC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. that focuses on early gene
discovery and functional genomics. The primary goal of RGC is to
improve patient outcomes by identifying novel drug targets,
clinical indications for development programs, and genomic
biomarkers for pharmacogenomic applications. RGC is tackling
large-scale sequencing and analytical approaches and has
established numerous collaborations with leading human genetics
researchers. To enable this large-scale sequencing and analysis
program, RGC utilizes fully automated sample preparation and data
processing, as well as cutting-edge cloud-based informatics.
At RGC, scientists around the globe with diverse skills and
backgrounds work together to uncover the genetic basis of human
disease. Their efforts have culminated in landmark discoveries like
CIDEB in NASH and have led to multiple new therapeutic development
programs at Regeneron across a range of therapeutic modalities.
Since its inception in 2013 and through a network of over 120
collaborators globally, RGC has developed one of the largest and
richest human genetics datasets in the world by sequencing more
than 2 million exomes.
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow
Regeneron on LinkedIn.
About AstraZenecaAstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq:
AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company founded in
1999 that focuses on the discovery, development, and
commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare
Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal
& Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in
Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its
innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.
Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on social media
@AstraZeneca.
About Novo NordiskNovo Nordisk is a leading
global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in
Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic
diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by
pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our
medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo
Nordisk employs about 59,000 people in 80 countries and markets its
products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit
novonordisk.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and
YouTube.
About Roche Founded in 1896 in Basel,
Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of
branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest
biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro
diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover
and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the
lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised
healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is
delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care
for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our
strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the
clinical practice.
For more information, please visit www.roche.com and
LinkedIn.
Regeneron Contacts: |
|
Media RelationsElla
CampbellElla.campbell@regeneron.com |
Investor RelationsVesna
TosicVesna.Tosic@regeneron.com |
References
- Zhang C, Hansen MEB, Tishkoff SA. Advances in integrative
African genomics. Trends in Genetics. 2022;38(2):152-168.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2021.09.013
- “The Impact of HBCUs on Diversity in STEM Fields.” United Negro
College Fund, Inc.
https://uncf.org/the-latest/the-impact-of-hbcus-on-diversity-in-stem-fields.
Last accessed June 16, 2023.
- King S N et al. “Determinants of Black families’ access to a
community-based STEM program: A latent class análisis.” Science
Education. Nov 2021;105:6.
- Suran M. “Keeping Black students in STEM.” PNAS. 12 June
2021;18(23).
- Funk C. “Black Americans’ Views of and Engagement With
Science.” Pew Research Center. 7 April 2022.
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