Galomics project

The GALOMICS project focuses on analyzing the genome of the Galician (an Spanish autonomous region in the most western corner of Spain) population to investigate its genetic variability at the highest resolution possible, achieved through whole-genome sequencing, conducted for the first time in this region. This analysis aims to address two fundamental aspects: on one hand, to understand the demographic history of Galicia from an anthropological-molecular perspective; and on the other, to identify genetic variants, both common and unique to the region, that may hold biomedical relevance.

To achieve these goals, the genomes of Galician individuals have been compared with those of numerous reference populations, including various communities in Spain. This approach places Galician genetic findings in a global context while highlighting their local specificities.

Galómica

The GALOMICS project has been approved by the bioethics committee (Registration Code: 2017/399; July 2017). To date, the complete genomes of 101 individuals from various areas of Galicia have been sequenced. Participant selection followed a rigorous criterion: both the parents and grandparents of each donor had to have resided in the same region. This approach ensures the genetic representativeness of the different provinces and specific areas of Galicia, allowing for a detailed analysis of genetic variants characteristic of each subregion. As a result, the project not only enriches our understanding of regional genetic diversity but also facilitates the identification of biomedical markers specific to each area.

The web tool allows users to search for genetic variants among more than 18 million present in the database. Searches can be performed using the rs identifier of the variants or by specifying the chromosome and position. The tool provides information on the frequency of each variant in the Galician population, its comparison with other reference populations, and data related to potential biomedical or clinical implications.

The tool has been designed to be scalable, anticipating the integration of new variants from other datasets. Many of these datasets represent disease conditions in Galician donors, some of which have already been generated and published in peer-reviewed journals indexed in the JCR.