4 ms·

Yeah, I’m actually very hopeful that mRNA medicine will be able to overcome issues like these in ways traditional vaccines couldn’t. For example, variations cou

Yeah, I’m actually very hopeful that mRNA medicine will be able to overcome issues like these in ways traditional vaccines couldn’t. For example, variations could be developed that are more effective for each racial group, rather than a one-size-fits all approach that may be biased. From there, perhaps even individuals who have autoimmune disease markers could have variants developed for them as well.

axiosgunnar 6y ago
Are you saying there are genetic differences between races?
- mschuster91 6y ago
  Yes, certain medications have different dosages depending on ethnic groups: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.704023 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.... There exist even special medicine to account for genetic differences in Black people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isosorbide_dinitrate/hydralazine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isosorbide_dinitrate/hydralazi...
- jcims 6y ago
  There are definitely phenotypical variations in humans that have health implications. To the extent that some of these are adaptive to region they may align with the rather poorly defined buckets we call ‘race’. To GP’s point, lack of diversity in clinical trials can result in medicines that vary in efficacy and safety in the broader population. The ability to customize a therapy to an individual would help reduce the impact of this issue.
- panta 6y ago
  AFAIK there are no human races from a taxonomic point of view, all human beings belong to the same subspecies. There are of course genetic differences between individuals and ethnic groups though, otherwise we would be all identical twins (the point is not condemning the differences - differences are in general a good thing - the point is not attaching value judgements to the differences).
  - rory 6y ago
    Subspecies definitions can be rather arbitrary in general, and don't fit well to a species with the technology of humans. 1000 years ago you probably could have said that indigenous subsaharan Africans and Americans are different subspecies of homo sapiens simply because one group has darker brown skin and lives in Africa, and one has lighter brown skin and lives in the Americas (phenotype difference + range difference is all it takes). But today the "native range" of every ethnic group is essentially global due to airplanes and immigration, so you'd probably say we're all one subspecies. But either way, the label "subspecies" conveys far less information than people sometimes assign it.
- lebuffon 6y ago
  Since 23andMe can figure out your geographic origin from your DNA there must be differences. Studying the nature of these differences might make some people uncomfortable but just as with subtle male/female differences, these studies could lead to amazing improvements in medical treatment.
- mensetmanusman 6y ago
  There are genetic differences between all humans.

axiosgunnar 6y ago

Are you saying there are genetic differences between races?

mschuster91 6y ago
Yes, certain medications have different dosages depending on ethnic groups: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.704023 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.... There exist even special medicine to account for genetic differences in Black people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isosorbide_dinitrate/hydralazine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isosorbide_dinitrate/hydralazi...
jcims 6y ago
There are definitely phenotypical variations in humans that have health implications. To the extent that some of these are adaptive to region they may align with the rather poorly defined buckets we call ‘race’. To GP’s point, lack of diversity in clinical trials can result in medicines that vary in efficacy and safety in the broader population. The ability to customize a therapy to an individual would help reduce the impact of this issue.
panta 6y ago
AFAIK there are no human races from a taxonomic point of view, all human beings belong to the same subspecies. There are of course genetic differences between individuals and ethnic groups though, otherwise we would be all identical twins (the point is not condemning the differences - differences are in general a good thing - the point is not attaching value judgements to the differences).
- rory 6y ago
  Subspecies definitions can be rather arbitrary in general, and don't fit well to a species with the technology of humans. 1000 years ago you probably could have said that indigenous subsaharan Africans and Americans are different subspecies of homo sapiens simply because one group has darker brown skin and lives in Africa, and one has lighter brown skin and lives in the Americas (phenotype difference + range difference is all it takes). But today the "native range" of every ethnic group is essentially global due to airplanes and immigration, so you'd probably say we're all one subspecies. But either way, the label "subspecies" conveys far less information than people sometimes assign it.
lebuffon 6y ago
Since 23andMe can figure out your geographic origin from your DNA there must be differences. Studying the nature of these differences might make some people uncomfortable but just as with subtle male/female differences, these studies could lead to amazing improvements in medical treatment.
mensetmanusman 6y ago
There are genetic differences between all humans.