What is CEU?

CEU aka CEPH is an acronym for Utah Residents with Northern and Western European Ancestry. These samples were collected from people living in Utah with ancestry from northern and western Europe. The term "CEPH" stands for the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain, the organization that collected these samples in 1980. Because the importance of precision in assigning group membership to prospective donors based on ancestral geography was not well appreciated in 1980, it is unclear how accurately these samples reflect the patterns of genetic variation in people with northern and western European ancestry. These samples should not be described as "European," nor seen as representing people with ancestry from other parts of Europe (e.g., southern or eastern Europe). Although it happens frequently in research, CEU also should not be described as "Caucasian" which is a term that carries racial overtones and technically refers only to people from the area between the Black and Caspian seas.