Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (RPGEH) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have been awarded a grant of $24.8m over two years by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create a new resource for studying disease, health, and aging.
The company has said that its RPGEH and UCSF will conduct a genome-wide analysis of DNA samples of 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members participating in research program. The UCSF Institute for Human Genetics is the partner on the project and will perform the actual genotyping. Grant funds will be shared by both institutions.
According to company, the new NIH grant builds on an $8.6m grant awarded in December 2008 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Portfolio (RWJF). It is funding the collection and storage of the first 200,000 DNA samples into the RPGEH, including the building of the secure health and environmental databases needed to power genetic resource.
Reportedly, the new genetic information will link historical clinical information taken from health surveys and the Kaiser’s electronic health record. Environmental information will also be included in the new resource, such as information about air and water quality, proximity to parks and healthy foods. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the NIH, was the key driver for the grant, in part because the average age of those whose DNA will be genotyped is 65.
Richard Hodes, director of NIA, said: MD”A body of research tells us that both genes and environmental factors influence how we age. We are very excited about the opportunity to develop this extraordinary database in an older population, to facilitate studies of gene-environment interaction as determinants of health, disease, and longevity.”