Abstract KN01: Genomic medicine in Mexico: New opportunities and challenges on the horizon

Mexico faces important demographic and epidemiological transitions with significant implications to patterns of disease, disability, and death. On the one hand, there are problems of underdevelopment and, on the other, the emerging challenges of the chronic and degenerative diseases of the industrialized world. For these diseases, prevention becomes a key strategy for alleviating a major burden to the economy and health of the population. Genomic medicine has become a priority to the Mexican government as a means of finding new strategies to tackle common diseases. In 2000, strategic planning for genomic medicine began, from a feasibility study and a multi-institutional consortium effort, to the creation of a National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN) by the Mexican congress in 2004. INMEGEN is designed to develop world class translational research focused on national health problems. Most Mexicans are Mestizos resulting from admixture of Amerindian, Spaniard and African populations. The admixture process has led to particular genomic ancestry structure. To optimize the use of human genome information to improve healthcare in Mexicans, we are systematically evaluating genomic variability of the Mexican population (http://diversity.inmegen.gob.mx). We are including additional Mexican Amerindians and increasing SNP density to better understand the admixture process in Mexicans, and develop more suitable tools to analyze the genetic bases of complex diseases in this population. In addition to the construction of a haplotype map of the Mexican population, INMEGEN is developing several genome-wide association studies for common diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as other translational medicine projects that include biomarkers discovery for several kinds of cancer, pharmacogenomics, and nutrigenomics. The design of INMEGEN includes an intellectual property unit and a business incubator to develop goods and services to improve healthcare for the Mexican population. Thus far, this strategy has been successful, however there are challenges that still need to be addressed, including increased investment in science and technology to stimulate a more vigorous and competitive research environment, development of more effective basic and clinical scientific synergies, recruitment and training of more human resources in genomic medicine, developing mechanisms to stimulate translational research, and developing a more modern regulatory framework to ensure that genomic medicine will successfully contribute to improve healthcare in the Mexican population.