Diversity Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2025

Highlighted principle Building trust with people of African ancestry to participate in genomics research and to become researchers. This will build more diversity in the genetic databases being studied today and increase the scientific talent pipeline for equitable medical research. Initiative context and objective In 2023, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. lead the launch of Together for CHANGE, a 10-year initiative driven by the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute (DHGI), in partnership with Meharry Medical College, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and Roche/Genentech. The initiative aims to address long- standing disparities in health education and genomics research for individuals of African ancestry. Its two main objectives are to create the world’s largest genotype-phenotype database of people of African ancestry, sequencing the genomes of 500,000 participants across the United States, Africa and the Caribbean to support future medical advancements, and to increase the representation of Black researchers in life sciences through newly funded empowerment programmes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and at institutions across Africa.  Highlight in practice   Cultural differences and historical mistreatment in U.S. research and clinical trials have long been thought to be significant barriers to participation in health research for people of African ancestry. To address these challenges, the Together for CHANGE initiative is being spearheaded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  Internal and external effort Together for CHANGE initiative13 Equity in life science for individuals of African ancestry  Meharry Medical College, an HBCU with nearly 150 years of dedication to health sciences, to demonstrate a commitment to the benefits of Black communities. Together, they launched a new non-profit to oversee governance of the initiative: the Diaspora Human Genomics Institute, chartered by Meharry. The DHGI and its newly formed Board of Directors manages the initiative and all associated funded activities.   To bring Together for CHANGE to life, the four corporate partners contribute $20 million each to fund two parts of the initiative: 1) grants to support STEM education and training programmes, and 2) a genomics study of 500,000 participants of African ancestry. The DHGI oversees genomic and health record data collection and retains ownership of all data; corporate partners can only access the database for internal R&D. Notably, Regeneron will also support by providing in-kind genomic sequencing of all participants via the Regeneron Genetics Center®. With the DHGI having data ownership, the initiative can empower other scientists – including scientists at HBCUs as well as scientists in academic institutions in Africa and the Caribbean – to leverage this unique genomic database to advance their research careers and to directly impact the health of their communities. Building trust and partnerships with Black communities is thus critical for both participation and for communicating the benefits of genomics research to these communities to ensure they are not left behind.   In June 2024, Regeneron partnered with MoreThanNow, a behavioural science organization based in the United Kingdom, to launch an innovative life sciences study aimed at understanding African Americans’ levels of trust in genomics research. This experiment, which includes 3,500 African American participants, is designed to provide insights into messages that may influence African American participation in genomic research.  35 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2025