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Trans-Ancestry GWAS

Definition
AI-generated

Trans-ancestry GWAS combines or compares association evidence across multiple ancestry groups, aiming to improve discovery in underrepresented populations, characterize effect heterogeneity, and support more equitable transfer of polygenic scores when appropriate harmonization and analysis models are used.

Topics
GWAS
Related
All of Us Cross-Ancestry Genetic Correlation Cross-Population Effect Heterogeneity

Why it matters in GWAS

Most large GWAS have been European-ancestry–dominant; multi-ancestry meta-analysis and ancestry-aware modeling address portability limits, LD differences, and allele frequency spectrum variation across groups.

Example usage

"Trans-Ancestry GWAS was modeled explicitly to reduce confounding and improve cross-cohort portability."

All of Us Cross-Ancestry Genetic Correlation Cross-Population Effect Heterogeneity Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI) Multi-Ancestry Fine-Mapping Pan-UK Biobank Local-Ancestry GWAS (Tractor) Admixture Ancestry Gene Flow Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) GWAS Meta-Analysis Multi-Ancestry Polygenic Score Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) Polygenic Risk Score Portability Polygenic Score Catalog Population Stratification
Related-term network

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References

  • Kuchenbaecker K, Navoly G. (2026). Ancestral diversity in complex disease genetics: from discovery to translation. Nat Rev Genet. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-025-00921-3
  • Kachuri L, Chatterjee N, Hirbo J, et al. (2024). Principles and methods for transferring polygenic risk scores across global populations. Nat Rev Genet. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-023-00637-2
  • Peterson RE, et al. (2019). Genome-wide association studies in ancestrally diverse populations: opportunities, methods, pitfalls, and recommendations. Cell.
  • Uffelmann E, et al. (2021). Genome-wide association studies. Nat Rev Methods Primers. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-021-00056-9
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