Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare has partnered with deCODE genetics, an Icelandic subsidiary of biotech giant Amgen, to launch a study that will map the DNA of 500,000 Intermountain patients to discover new links between genetics and disease.
The HerediGene: Population Study is expected to provide insight into human genetics that can be used to prevent common diseases such as breast cancer, colon cancer and heart disease. It will also deepen understanding of the human genome and improve population health.
The study is voluntary and free to consenting participants, who will have the option to receive a genetic results report of their genomic analysis if a clinically significant gene mutation is identified. The study, comprised mainly of Intermountain patients from Utah and Idaho, represents the largest and most comprehensive DNA mapping project from a single U.S. population.
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