University of Maryland Medicine is starting a precision health research database involving hundreds of thousands of people it says could revolutionize medical treatment and disease prevention.
The My Healthy Maryland study plans to enroll 250,000 Maryland residents to learn how genes interact with other factors to influence people's health. It will focus on underserved populations that are more prone to health disparities.
"This is an opportunity for the diverse Maryland community to team up with researchers to better understand how our biology, lifestyle and local environment affect our health," said study co-leader Toni Pollin, PhD, associate professor at University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a June 21 university news release. "We also expect it will help us accelerate our understanding of how individuals and their healthcare providers can use information about genetic variation to predict, prevent, detect and treat disease."
University of Maryland Medicine has partnered with digital health research company Vibrent Health on the project. Vibrent's platform gathers data through sources that include surveys, genomic biosamples, EHRs and wearables.