Somatic and Stem Cell Bank to Study the Contribution of African Ancestry to Dementia: African iPSC Initiative.

Introduction: Africa, home to 1.4 billion people and the highest genetic diversity globally, harbors unique genetic variants crucial for understanding complex diseases like neurodegenerative disorders. However, African populations remain underrepresented in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) collections, limiting the exploration of population-specific disease mechanisms and therapeutic discoveries.

ECOG-ACRIN EAZ171: Prospective Validation Trial of Germline Predictors of Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Black Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Black women experience higher rates of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN) compared with White women when receiving adjuvant once weekly paclitaxel for early-stage breast cancer, leading to more dose reductions and higher recurrence rates. EAZ171 aimed to prospectively validate germline predictors of TIPN and compare rates of TIPN and dose reductions in Black women receiving (neo)adjuvant once weekly paclitaxel and once every 3 weeks docetaxel for early-stage breast cancer.

Methods: Women with early-stage breast cancer who self-identified as Black and had intended to receive (neo)adjuvant once weekly paclitaxel or once every 3 weeks docetaxel were eligible, with planned accrual to 120 patients in each arm.

"How is it going to help?": Exploring Black breast cancer patients' questions about biomarker testing to predict chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Objective: Many Black breast cancer patients experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Our study assessed Black breast cancer patients' questions about a biomarker test that can predict likelihood of CIPN.

Methods: Nineteen Black women who were previous/current breast cancer patients participated in focus groups.