Tutu's full genome sequenced

Archbishops DNA deciphered as part of a study on genetic diversity

The South African clergyman and human rights campaigner agreed to the procedure as part of a study into the breadth of human genetic diversity and the role an individual’s genetic makeup plays in their health.

The African continent is widely regarded as the cradle of humanity, where human genetic diversity is at its greatest, but scientists have overwhelmingly focused their genetic research on western and Asian cultures.

As a result, research into drugs and diseases almost completely ignores the genetic variation of the African population, meaning drugs are often less effective there than elsewhere in the world and gene variants that make people more susceptible to certain diseases are missed. The latest research is intended to give pharmaceutical companies the information needed to identify genes that increase the risk of disease and to develop more effective drugs, such as antiviral treatments for HIV in Africa.

An international team of researchers, led by Stephan Schuster at Penn State University, sequenced the genomes of four tribal leaders who are all in their 80s and come from communities in Namibia that still practice a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

The genome of the archbishop, who is 79, was particularly important for the study because he is a Bantu descended from the Tswana and Nguni people, who account for around 80 per cent of southern Africans.

Each of the men provided a near lifelong medical history, which will help link particular genes to their health. The archbishop, for example, has survived polio, prostate cancer and tuberculosis, all of which are influenced by genes.

“We wanted to understand the genetic diversity of all mankind,” Dr Schuster said. “Since Africa is the cradle of humanity, this is where diversity is at its greatest.” The study, published in the journal “Nature”, identified 1.3 million genetic variants among the southern Africans that have never been seen before.