Polygenic scores lose accuracy fast across UK Biobank ancestry groups
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Institut Pasteur, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem derived polygenic scores for 245 traits using UK Biobank data, then tested them across nine ancestry groups within that same cohort. Keeping training and testing inside one dataset let them isolate genetic distance from confounders like geography and differences in data collection. Scores trained on Northwestern European individuals lost accuracy sharply and systematically when applied to other ancestry groups. The decline showed up even within European subgroups.
Polygenic risk scores need broader ancestral representation before they can be applied fairly across populations.
Written by the Genomes desk from the primary source cited and linked above and checked against it. Research use only; not medical advice. Corrections: [email protected].