As part of the All Us Research Program, the National Institutes of Health will issue reports informing study participants if they are at increased risk for certain health conditions. – and provide them with pharmacokinetic information that can show how well some drugs are absorbed by their bodies.
Color Health has partnered with the NIH to provide follow-up clinical DNA tests at no cost to those who request and receive results with pathogenic or potentially pathogenic variants.
WHY IT IMPORTANT
Precision medicine seeks to personalize medical care by first learning about a person’s biological risk factors, as well as how they respond to medications and treatments.
The NIH says that during the first phase of health-related DNA results, All of Us participants who provided a blood sample and agreed to receive genomic information will be invited to receive their results freely. single.
Participants can choose which health-related outcomes they want, if any. The results they choose to receive are then processed and made available to them “several weeks later”.
The program predicts that 2-3% of participants will receive a result that shows a pathogenic or potentially pathogenic variant is linked in one of the genes included in their Genetic Disease Risk report.
The report can link a participant to one or more of the 59 genes and variants associated with serious, medically treatable health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, blood disorders, etc.
According to the announcement, Color Health will provide free genetic counseling to All of Us participants and their family members and health care providers to discuss and explain their results.
Participants can also choose to receive the results of your Drugs and DNA report, which includes seven genes known to affect how the body processes certain drugs.
People whose results suggest they may be at high risk for a serious health condition will be offered clinical DNA testing through the program’s genetic counseling resource, conducted outside of the free program. fee. Color will also provide free clinical DNA tests.
The NIH says reporting back to genomics research participants can help promote health equity and can serve as a catalyst for change to increase representation in medical research. learn.
“Our participants care about their health as well as medical research,” said Karriem Watson of the NIH, director of engagement for the We All Research Program.
“We strive to share information with them in a responsible, accessible and impactful way that honors their trust in us and gives them the tools to continue to find learn more about their own health.”
TREND TO BIGGER
Ambitious genomic projects are becoming more popular. In addition to the NIH, organizations like Mount Sinai Health are working on genome sequencing projects involving their patients.
The Millions Health Discovery Program announced a few months ago seeks to sequence and analyze DNA from 1 million Mount Sinai patients and link anonymized versions of their electronic health records to a study. personalized medical research by the Icahn School of Medicine.
According to early adopters asked about best practices for implementing precision medicine, integrating personalized medicine into primary care enhances the value of patient care.
Three years ago, Northshore University Health System in partnership with Color was able to drive their personalized medicine program at scale through a DNA program for 10,000 eligible patients, Dr. Hulick, medical director of the Mark R. Neaman Center for Personalized Medicine at the Mark R. Neaman College of Medicine. North Sea Butter.
It was one of the largest U.S. genomics research efforts on a primary care basis at the time.
“The Color platform is designed to specifically uncover genetic information about many types of cancer – including breast, ovarian, uterine, colon, melanoma, pancreatic, stomach cancers,” said Hulick. Prostate and prostate – genetic patterns of heart disease and pharmacokinetics to inform drug metabolism”. Healthcare IT News.
ON PROFILE
Dr Alicia Zhou, chief scientific officer of Color Health, said in a statement: “Returning information in research programs is an ethical choice, but must be done responsibly and fairly. plain”.
“All of Us is setting a new precedent for longitudinal research programs,” she added.
“Knowledge is powerful. By returning health-related DNA information to participants, we are changing the research paradigm, turning it into a two-way street – driving both discovery and discovery. science and individuals can help individuals navigate their own health,” said Dr. Josh Denny, executive director of the All Us Research Program.
“This type of collaboration with our participants is crucial to building trust and fulfilling the commitment we’ve made to advance research that can provide meaningful insights for everybody.”
Andrea Fox is the senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
