Mende in Sierra Leone [MSL]

Available Samples	Family Relationships
Cell Cultures: 128     DNA: 128     DNA Sample Panel: MGP00021		Trios:  9      Parent-Child Duos:  14      Family of 2 or more:  3      Unrelated Individuals:  61

Population Description

These cell lines and DNA samples were prepared from blood samples collected from people living in Sierra Leone who identified themselves as Mende. All individuals identified themselves as having four Mende grandparents.

Referring to Populations

It is important to refer to this community as "Mende in Sierra Leone" when describing these samples in articles or presentations. Including the full name reinforces the point that the sample set does not represent all Mende people, whose population history is complex. The population should not be described merely as “African”, “Sub-Saharan African”, “West African”, or “Sierra Leonian”, since each of those designators encompasses many communities.

The full population descriptor is Mende in Sierra Leone  and the abbreviation is MSL.

Additional guidance about how to refer to the populations can be found at Guidelines for Referring to the Populations in Publications and Presentations.

Principal Investigators

• Robert Garry - Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 
• Pardis Sabeti - Harvard University, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 
• Donald Grant - Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone