EP 191: Uncovering hidden histories and health insights from the Mexican Biobank with Andres Moreno-Estrada of LANGEBIO

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Andres Moreno-Estrada, population geneticist and head of the Human Evolutionary Genomics Lab at LANGEBIO in Mexico. They discuss the creation and insights of the Mexican Biobank, the genetic diversity of Latin America, ancient human migration, and the role of locally-led research in shaping public health and scientific equity.Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:58 Welcome to Andres 01:56 Andres’ motivation to pursue genetics03:01 How and why Andres established the Mexican biobank with genotyping of more than 6,000 people07:25 Surprising findings on ancestry and regional similarities from the Mexican biobank09:26 Links between Indigenous ancestry, BMI, and disease-related traits12:36 Reconstructing population history from the Mexican biobank20:16 Tracing a single ancient contact between South America and Polynesia through shared Indigenous DNA21:58 Collaborative genomics efforts across Latin America and the launch of a regional Human Cell Atlas 26:39 How biobanks can inform national health decisions and why prioritization is the missing link in Mexico32:10 Public health applications of genetic data and the need for local and regional biobanks35:17 How ancient DNA reveals early cultural mixing and the deep roots of Mexico’s Day of the Dead traditions39:12 Closing remarks and a call for support and investment in locally-led science across Latin America and beyondFind out moreMoreno Lab (http://www.morenolab.org/)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link