The National Institutes of Health awarded seven institutions $28.6 million to establish three genome centers as part of the All of Us Research Program.
All of Us, which is part of the NIH's precision medicine initiative, aims to engage more than 1 million participants in sharing biological samples, genetic data and lifestyle information to build a national research resource to inform future precision medicine studies.
More than 110,00 people have registered for the program since its May 6 launch, and an estimated 60,000 have completed sharing data by responding to surveys, providing access to their EHRs, and submitting blood and urine samples.
Here are the seven institutions the NIH tapped to lead the All of Us Research Program Genome Centers, which will sequence 1 million program participants' genomes from biosamples, such as blood samples:
- Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- The Broad Institute in Cambridge, Mass., with genomic testing company Color and the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine at Partners HealthCare in Cambridge, Mass.
- Northwest Genomics Center at the University of Washington in Seattle
In addition to generating genomic data, the genome centers will also return information about risk of certain diseases, drug-gene interactions and ancestry to interested participants. All of Us plans to issue a funding announcement for genetic counseling resources later this year to support this phase of the program.
"Many people are curious about their genetic makeup," the program's director Eric Dishman said in a news release. "This program will empower participants to learn more about their health, while furthering researching to benefit all of us."