Research Populations
The South Texas Mexican American Family Studies are a series of genetic studies that focus on Mexican American families from across south Texas. This study population was effectively randomly ascertained, so it is well suited to studies of the genetic and environmental determinants of variation in any disease-related or normal trait. The population has been studied for over 30 years and now includes over 4,500 extremely well-characterized individuals who belong to approximately 84 large extended pedigrees. Whole genome sequence data and lymphoblastoid cell lines are available for most of the study participants.
The Jirel population of eastern Nepal has been the focus of genetic research by STDOI investigators since 1985. The Jirel ethnic group originated in the Jiri region of Nepal. Over 2,600 individuals have participated in one or more of the studies of the Jirel population conducted over the past 40+ years. These individuals all belong to a single large extended pedigree that is extremely powerful for genetic research. All individuals in the population have been characterized extensively genetically and for a broad range of disease-related and normal traits..
The Posse Family Health Study began in 1994 in a rural region of central Brazil in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The participants in the longitudinal study include over 2,000 individuals belonging to two large extended pedigrees that have strong statistical power for analyses of the genetic and environmental determinants of risk for disease and related traits. The families participating in the study have been genetically characterized and assessed for a broad range of traits related to cardiovascular disease .