Carlos Slim Center for Health Research

Although type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem across the globe, Latin American countries carry a disproportionately heavy burden (relative rates of type 2 diabetes by country shown in purple above). Broad Institute researchers and their collaborators have discovered a strong genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes that primarily affects Latin American patients, but is rare elsewhere.

Researchers from the Boston area, Mexico, and Norway have completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations. The study identified recurrent genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments have been approved for other forms of cancer. The findings also shed light on the role human papillomavirus (HPV) plays in the development of cervical cancer.