Orang Asli Genome Project
The Orang Asli Genome Project (OAGP) is an initiative conceived through the "Evolutionary Genomics and Anthropological Approaches on the Endangered Malaysian Orang Asli Populations: Towards Ensuring their Sustainability" program, a research program funded under the Long Term Research Grant Scheme (LRGS) by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia. The program commenced in June 2011 and is being lead by Prof. Dr. Mohd Zaki Salleh from iPROMISE UiTM.
The fact that no known study of the Orang Asli whole genome has been done before has lead to the instigation of the OAGP. Unraveling the genomic architecture of the Malaysian Orang Asli would produce a DNA blueprint of these indigenous group which would allow the understanding of their genetic variation and adaptations. This is in parallel to the program's objective of providing an in depth characterization of the genomic variation of the unique Orang Asli sub-tribes as a foundation for investigating genotype-phenotype relationships, consequently to understand how environment shapes the genetic architecture via identifying the signs of natural selection and diseases where the South East Asians are at highest risks.
The fact that no known study of the Orang Asli whole genome has been done before has lead to the instigation of the OAGP. Unraveling the genomic architecture of the Malaysian Orang Asli would produce a DNA blueprint of these indigenous group which would allow the understanding of their genetic variation and adaptations. This is in parallel to the program's objective of providing an in depth characterization of the genomic variation of the unique Orang Asli sub-tribes as a foundation for investigating genotype-phenotype relationships, consequently to understand how environment shapes the genetic architecture via identifying the signs of natural selection and diseases where the South East Asians are at highest risks.