The National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us research programme has reported the data release of approximately 245,000 clinical-grade whole-genome sequences and genome-wide genotyping data on more than 300,000 participants in a recent publication in Nature. Of the participants with genomic data, 46% of individuals identify with underrepresented racial and minority ethnic groups, and 77% identify with groups that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research, for reasons including race, ethnicity, age, geography, sexual orientation and gender identity, income, education, access to healthcare and/or disability. Combined with phenotype data from a combination of electronic health records, physical measurements, survey responses and wearables, All of Us provides a rich resource of unprecedented diversity for research and discovery.

According to a recent comment piece by Bianchi et al., “All of Us was intentionally designed as a resource that addresses diversity and inclusion at all levels: diversity in participant demographics; diversity in data types; and diversity in researchers”. A longitudinal cohort study that started enrolment in 2018, All of Us aims to extend the number of participants to at least 1 million US-based individuals by the end of 2026.