Oh, what a surprise! After years of research, someone finally realized that African Americans (AAs) are more than just a footnote in polygenic risk score (PRS) studies for type 2 diabetes (T2D). So, they decided to roll up their sleeves and dive into the genetic pool of 101,987 AAs. They used a fancy Bayesian polygenic modeling method (PRS-CS) to come up with a T2D PRS specifically tailored for AAs, affectionately dubbed PRSAA. Because, you know, inclusivity is trendy now.

But wait, there’s more! They didn’t just stop there. They tested this groundbreaking score in three independent studies with a whopping total of 7,275 AAs. And guess what? They found that if your PRSAA score is one standard deviation higher, you’re 40%-60% more likely to have T2D. Groundbreaking, right? These models managed to capture a staggering 1.0%-2.6% of the variance in T2D. I mean, who needs the other 97.4% of the variance anyway?

And for the cherry on top, they calculated the positive predictive values (PPV) for this score. If you’re in the top 2%, 5%, or 10% of the PRSAA, your chances of having T2D range from 14% to 35%. So, it’s kind of like saying, “Congratulations, you’ve won a prize… but it’s diabetes.”

In a shocking twist, the PRSAA performed similarly to existing T2D PRS. Who would have thought? But don’t worry, the researchers have concluded that we still need larger datasets. Because, obviously, the solution to all of life’s problems is just more data.

So, hats off to the researchers for reminding us that AAs exist in the world of genetic research. And here’s to hoping that one day, we might actually figure out the other 97.4% of the variance. Until then, let’s keep collecting more data, because that’s definitely what we’re missing.