"Race, Genes and Kidney Transplantation: Ethical Issues in Race-targeted Genetic Testing" -Ana Iltis

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Ana S. Iltis, PhD is Director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society and Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University.
Abstract: Interest in variants of the APOL1 gene that are associated with an increased risk of kidney disease has prompted significant changes in living donor kidney donor transplantation and research on kidney transplantation. The APOL1 risk variants are more prevalent in people who have recent African ancestry, particularly west African ancestry. Because race is often used as a poor surrogate for ancestry, APOL1 genetic testing in clinical practice and research has focused on Black or African American individuals. This is an example of race-targeted genetic testing, a practice that raises a host of important ethical and policy questions.