Indigenous Health through DNA and Data Futures

Traditionally, the innovation pathway as it relates to genomic data derived from Tribal Nations and their members has been largely one-sided. Genomic and health data have often been collected from Indigenous peoples via recruitment in large-scale genomic diversity projects and clinical testing with the promise that derived benefits of such research would ameliorate disparities in health outcomes. However, the promises of genomics medicine have yet to materialize in chronically medically underserved Tribal communities. Yet, the interest in recruiting Indigenous peoples in genomics research persists amid researcher interests to understand the breadth of human genomic variation. Additionally, industry and academia disproportionately stand to benefit from variant discovery and variant-specific therapeutics which have potential commercial utility. There is an impending collision between Tribal data sovereignty and non-Tribal interests in the space of healthcare delivery and ownership/stewardship of genomic data from Tribal members. We discuss how emerging technologies as rooted in Tribally-led data repositories, machine learning approaches, and shifts in Tribal laws and resolutions may shift status quo innovation pathways to enable Tribal, tech-centered data futures rooted in genomic and health data.