April 15, 2026

@michaelokun

Why African genetics may reshape our understanding of Parkinson’s disease. Spoiler alert: 98% of Sub-Saharan African cases lack an identified genetic cause. Monogenic means a disease caused primarily by a change in a single gene rather than many genes acting together. Banjaw and colleagues describe in a new paper in Movement Disorders how the genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease differ across African populations. Key Points: - Monogenic Parkinson’s disease accounts for about 11% of cases studied in African populations, w/ strong regional variation. - A single variant in the LRRK2 gene drives a large proportion of cases in North Africa, but is nearly absent in Sub-Saharan Africa. - More than 98% of Sub-Saharan African cases lack an identified genetic cause, highlighting major gaps in research and discovery. My take: This paper is a wakeup call. If we continue to study only a narrow slice of the world’s population, we will miss critical biology. Africa holds enormous genetic diversity and likely the keys to new pathways, new targets and possibly new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Here are 5 points that resonated w/ me: 1- Genetic discoveries depend on who we study and right now large parts of the world are underrepresented. 2- A single founder mutation can shape disease patterns in entire regions, which is powerful for understanding biology. 3- The absence of known mutations in many folks suggests environmental factors and also the possibility of undiscovered genes and mechanisms are waiting to be found. 4- Precision medicine will fail if it is not built on diverse populations and inclusive science. 5- Investing in global research infrastructure and partnerships may unlock the next breakthroughs in Parkinson’s disease. https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.70302 #michaelokun #fixelinstitute #parkinson