The Human Genome Project was a gamechanger for medical and biotech innovation. Yet heath injustices remain—in part because only 2 percent of human genomes studied to date have been sourced from African DNA. That prompted geneticist Ambroise Wonkam to pitch his “nearly crazy idea”: conduct genetic tests on 3 million people of African descent. The result? A massive library of genetic information that could help correct health injustices. Yet Wonkam admits he feared stakeholders would balk at the scope and cost of the US$4.5 billion project. He was wrong: “The enthusiasm has been massive,” says Wonkam, director of McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine and professor of genetic medicine at johnshopkinsu, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. “I ended up having tons of emails requesting collaborations. Everyone wants to see the idea come to life.” Wonkam also found a way to tighten the scope by incorporating already available data from earlier DNA collection projects. And he’s working on ...