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gdap_wgs

Globally, human populations show structured genetic diversity as a result of geographical dispersion, selection and drift. Understanding this genetic variation can provide insights into the evolutionary processes that shape both human adaptation and variation in disease. Populations from SSA have the highest levels of genetic diversity. This characteristic, in addition to historical genetic admixture, can lead to complexities in the design of studies assessing the genetic determinants of disease and human variation. However, such studies of African populations are also likely to provide new opportunities to discover novel disease susceptibility loci and variants and refine gene–disease association signals. A systematic assessment of genetic diversity within SSA would facilitate genomic epidemiological studies in the region.The African Genome Variation Project (AGVP) is an international collaboration that aims to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation in SSA. This resource has extended our understanding of population history, patterns of genetic diversity within and among populations in SSA, as well as providing a global resource to help design, implement and interpret genomic studies.The Genome Diversity in Africa Project (GDAP) will extend and expand the African Genome Variation (AGV) project. Using a sequencing-based approach, GDA project aims to produce a comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation in SSA, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), structural variants, and haplotypes. This resource will make a substantial contribution to understanding patterns of genetic diversity within and among populations in SSA, as well as providing a global resource to help design, implement and interpret genomic studies in SSA populations and studies comprising globally diverse populations, complementing existing genomic resources. Specifically, we plan to carry out low and high depth whole genome sequencing of up to 2000 individuals across Africa (100 individuals from each ethnolinguistic group), and complement these data with 2.5M Illumina genotyping. We have already completed sequencing of 700 individuals across SSA, we are now adding an additional 540 samples from various ethno-linguistic groups within Africa, including populations from Burkina Faso, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.Our scientific objectives are to: 1) develop a resource that provides a comprehensive catalogue of genetic variation in populations from SSA accessible to the global scientific community; 2) characterise population genetic diversity, structure, gene flow and admixture across SSA; 3) develop a cost-efficient, next-generation genotype array for diverse populations across SSA; and 4) facilitate whole genome-sequencing association studies of complex traits and diseases by developing a reference panel for imputation and resource for enhancing fine-mapping disease susceptibility loci. These scientific objectives will be supported by cross-cutting operational activities, including network and management of the consortium, research ethics, and research capacity building in statistical genetics and bioinformatics.