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UPH-MRIN Genetics Research Sheds New Light on Ancestry of Bornean Hunter-Gatherer Tribe
28-November-2023
A new study by the Mochtar Riady Institute for Nanotechnology (MRIN) — the research arm of the Universitas Pelita Harapan’s (UPH) Medical Sciences Group and the only privately-owned cancer research institute in Indonesia — provided a more conclusive answer to decades-old controversy about whether a nomadic tribe from Borneo are the descendants of the neighbouring sedentary farming communities or a distinctly separate group with different ancestors.
It is theorized that these communities have their own distinct demographic history, and that they have maintained their traditional way of life despite the pressures of modernization and development, especially the encroachment of oil palm plantations and commercial logging on their homeland.
Spearheaded by MRIN’s Genome Diversity and Disease Research Division, the study — led by postdoctoral researcher Pradiptajati Kusuma, PhD, in collaboration with top scientists from the University of Cambridge and Santa Fe Institute — produced fresh evidence supporting the long-term habitation of Punan-related people on the island and highlighted the unique genetic ancestry connections among these communities in Northeast Borneo.
After almost two years of painstaking fieldwork deep inside Borneo’s dense jungles, the researchers managed to collect DNA samples from individuals belonging to Punan-related communities (Punan Batu, Punan Tubu and Punan Aput) and an indigenous agricultural community (Lundayeh) in Northeast Borneo, and analyzed their genetic data using the Illumina Omni 2.5 array, which allowed them to genotype 2.4 million variants across the genome. They also built a comparative dataset from 50 worldwide populations comprising an additional 641 individuals.
The results of the study revealed that the Punan-related communities in Northeast Borneo have a distinct genetic ancestry that is different from other Bornean populations, as well as from other Southeast Asian and Oceanian populations, who are believed to be of Austronesian origin.
It is hoped that through research, UPH-MRIN can establish itself as an internationally renowned and respected center for molecular anthropology research.