The paper presents GAIA, a global atlas of immune alleles, showing that underrepresented groups have more diverse alleles needed for vaccine design than Northwest European groups.

medRxiv · Nov 4, 2026 · PreprintGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Linking the plasma proteome to genetics in individuals from continental Africa provides insights into type 2 diabetes pathogenesis

Opeyemi S. Soremekun, Young-Chan Park, Mauro Tutino, Ana Luiza Arruda, Allan Kalungi, Nigel William Rayner, Moffat J. Nyirenda, Segun Fatumo, Eleftheria Zeggini

This study links plasma proteome data to genetics in Ugandan individuals, identifying novel pQTLs and proteins causally associated with type 2 diabetes.

Nature Genetics · Jan 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Genetic Determinants Of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Among Adult Persons Living With HIV In Uganda.

Olga Tendo Nsangi, Ronald M. Galiwango, Eugene Kinyanda, Martha Sajatovic, Mark Kaddumukasa, Martin N. Kaddumukasa, Elly Katabira, Catherine Nabbumba, Seedat Soraya, Sian M. J. Hemmings, Segun Fatumo, Allan Kalungi

This study identifies three SNPs suggestively associated with MDD in Ugandan HIV-positive adults, highlighting potential genetic links to psychiatric conditions.

medRxiv · Mar 19, 2025 · PreprintGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Uganda Genome Resource: A rich research database for genomic studies of communicable and non-communicable diseases in Africa

Segun Fatumo, Joseph Okello Mugisha, Opeyemi S. Soremekun, Allan Kalungi, Richard Mayanja, Christopher Kintu, Ronald Makanga, Ayoub Kakande, Andrew Max Abaasa, Gershim Asiki, Robert Kalyesubula, Robert Newton, Moffat Nyirenda, Manj S. Sandhu, Pontiano Kaleebu

The Uganda Genome Resource provides a genomic database for studying disease susceptibility and risk factors in Ugandan populations, with applications in discovering genetic loci, refining associations, and developing polygenic risk scores.

Cell Genomics · Nov 1, 2022Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Genetic structure correlates with ethnolinguistic diversity in eastern and southern Africa

Elizabeth G. Atkinson, Shareefa Dalvie, Yakov Pichkar, Allan Kalungi, Lerato Majara, Anne Stevenson, Tamrat Abebe, Dickens Howard Akena, Melkam Alemayehu Kebede, Fred K. Ashaba, Lukoye Atwoli, Mark Baker, Lori Beth Chibnik, Nicole Creanza, Mark J. Daly, , NeuroGAP-Psychosis Study Team

This study examines genetic structure in African populations using ethnolinguistic data, finding that language classifications better capture genetic variation than geography alone.

The American Journal of Human Genetics · Sep 1, 2022Peer-reviewedGenomics

Low generalizability of polygenic scores in African populations due to genetic and environmental diversity

Lerato Majara, Allan Kalungi, Nastassja Koen, Heather Joy Zar, Dan Joseph Stein, Eugene Kinyanda, Elizabeth G. Atkinson, Alicia R. Martin

This study evaluates the generalizability of polygenic scores in African populations, finding that PRS accuracy varies significantly across African ancestries and is improved by using ancestrally diverse genetic studies.

bioRxiv · Jan 12, 2021 · PreprintGenetics