Genes for Good: Engaging the Public in Genetics Research via Social Media

Area of Science:

• Genomic Medicine
• Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Population Health

Background:

• The Genes for Good study leverages social media platforms to recruit a large and diverse participant cohort.
• Traditional research methods face challenges in engaging broad populations for genetic studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize social media for large-scale genetics research and education.
• To collect DNA samples and health data for genetic association studies.
• To establish a flexible framework for ongoing research and collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment and engagement of participants through a Facebook application.
• Administration of health history and daily tracking surveys.
• Collection of DNA samples via saliva kits ('spit kits') for genotyping.
• Replication of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for traits like asthma, diabetes, BMI, and pigmentation.

Main Results:

• Engaged over 80,000 individuals, sent spit kits to over 32,000, and collected over 27,000 DNA samples by March 2019.
• Participants represent all 50 U.S. states with diverse ancestral backgrounds.
• Chronic health indicator rates align with general U.S. population estimates, though the sample is younger and has higher female representation.

Conclusions:

• The Genes for Good study demonstrates the feasibility of using social media for large-scale, diverse genetic research.
• The collected data supports genetic association studies and provides insights into population health.
• The study's flexible framework supports continued growth and future longitudinal genetic analyses.