Grants Awarded to Fund Research on Health Records, Genomics

(Genome.gov)

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of National Institutes of Health, will fund research on patients’ genomic information linked to disease characteristics and symptoms in their electronic medical records. NHGRI will award grants totaling $25 million over the next four years to seven institutions in the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) network.

The eMERGE network, in the first phase of the program, has so far identified genetic variants associated with dementia, cataracts, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, peripheral arterial disease, white blood cell count, type 2 diabetes and cardiac conduction defects. In the next phase, says NHGRI, investigators will identify genetic variants associated with 40 more disease characteristics and symptoms, using genome-wide association studies across the eMERGE network.

DNA from about 32,000 participants will be analyzed in each study. eMERGE researchers will then, with patient consent, use the genomic information in clinical care. Potential uses include adjustments in patient medications based on genetic variants involved in drug response, and interventions to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disorders.

The project also covers ethical and policy issues involved in human genomic research and electronic health records, including privacy, informed consent, and public concerns. “We are developing best practices and policies to determine how best to use patient information for research or patient care,” says Teri Manolio, director of NHGRI’s Office of Population Genomics, which administers the eMERGE network.

The eMERGE network institutions receiving grants include Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Group Health Cooperative and University of Washington in Seattle, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Geisinger Weis Center for Research, Danville, Pennsylvania, Essentia Institute of Rural Health in Duluth, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Read more: Kaiser Permanente, UCSF Complete DNA Data Gathering

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