A comparison of deep multiomics profiles across ethnicity, geography, and age
Cell, 2026
Barapour N., Cao J., Wu Y., Gupta S., Hoopmann M., Qin R., Midha M., Mireault M., Juanes-Velasco P., Hanson C., Ahadi S., Higgs E., Baxter D., Diener C., Dagan-Rosenfeld O., Hornburg D., Che S., Edfors F., Church S., Babu M., Thota D., Jin C., Chou T., Rego S., Avina M., McGuire L., Li J., Karathanos T., Panyard D., Acosta Parra M., Roberts A., Ranjit A., Rangan E., Almagro Armenteros J., Ashland M., Castillo K., Traber G., Ellenberger M., Kellogg R., Zhou W., Rost H., Kjellberg M., Mishra T., Kapil C., Kusebauch U., Patwardhan S., Landeira-Viñuela A., Hernandez A., Thomsen M., Mashkoor M., Sutantiwanichkul T., Dodig-Crnkovic T., Bendes A., Dahl L., Gibbons S., Rangan P., Stensballe A., Schwenk J., Unwin R., Fuentes M., Sleno L., Moritz R., Mahal L., Snyder M.
| Disease area | Application area | Sample type | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
Wider Proteomics Studies | Pathophysiology Patient Stratification | Plasma |  Olink Target 96 |
Abstract
Despite extensive research, molecular differences in human populations and the influence of ancestry, age, geography, and diet are poorly understood. We performed comprehensive multiomics profiling (including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, metallomics, glycomics, and microbiomics) on samples from 322 healthy individuals of European, East Asian, and South Asian ancestry across multiple continents. We identified ethnicity-associated molecular features linked to host metabolism, autoimmune disease risk, drug metabolism, and neurodegenerative pathways. We uncovered ancestry- and geography-related molecular changes affecting metabolism, immune function, microbiome composition, and biological aging. Specific genetic variants and gene expression differences were associated with lipid metabolism and immune regulation. Geography influenced biological age: East Asians showed lower biological age in their ancestral regions, whereas individuals of European ancestry exhibited lower biological age in the US/Canada than in Europe. Diet-microbiome metabolism interactions displayed ethnicity-specific patterns, many related to health. This open access resource advances understanding of ethnicity-environment interactions and supports precision medicine.