Social media, and especially Facebook, have become our “windows to the world”. According to a recent article that appeared in The Michigan Public Health News Center, scientists are using the well-documented power of Facebook to recruit a diverse pool of participants for their ongoing study entitled “Genes For Good”.
One of the study’s researchers at the University of Michigan commented that in order for studies to be relevant to a large population, they should include samples of ethnic, socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. But therein lies the problem.
Moving Forward
The designs that have been used for years to collect data are not only costly but often exclude people due to their proximity to the study location.
Typically, participants have been recruited from neighborhoods in areas close to Universities. Therefore people living in rural areas or who for financial or other reasons were unable to travel were excluded.
Even more importantly, the researchers must compile large samples that include health, behavioral and medical data.
Working with the Facebook online health assessment application opens the study to a larger population. It also affords researchers the opportunity of reaching people who may not otherwise be a part of genetic studies. There is the potential of working with these participants in future studies.
This study is being conducted at the same time that interest is increasing in direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
THE GOAL OF THE STUDY
The study has been underway through Facebook since 2015 and has reached out to people in fifty states. The study’s goal is an understanding of human health and biology, and to provide leads for the design of new medicines.
The summary as of March 2019 shows that 117,000 people have received the app with 80,000 taking part in the study.
After a participant meets the minimum requirements, a DNA kit is sent out to collect DNA for genotyping. To date, 32,000 kits have been sent out with 27,000 samples collected.
Thus far, researchers have been able to analyze genotypes for 20,232 participants. Over 10,000 regions mapped within a genome have been linked to complex and common diseases.
Participants Download Their DNA Data
As the participants completed the online survey which included their health history, they were able to compare their responses to those of other participants. The design of the survey makes it easy for researchers to add additional questionnaires as well as collaborate with other researchers.
The study investigators tested the genetic variants that had been sent back to them. The intent was to determine how it compared with the individual’s disease or health information.
The participants who sent back their DNA sample were rewarded with a free copy of their genetic ancestry. They could download this DNA data and either analyze it themselves or request interpretation by a third party.
New participants are continually being recruited for the study through their friends and family. In the meantime, researchers continue to seek funding, as their goal is to add tens of thousands of participants to the study through the Facebook application.
Does this sound like a survey that you would want to join?
