The NIH has added four regional medical centers to the national network of healthcare providers slated to implement the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program.
California Precision Medicine Consortium, Geisinger Health System, New England Precision Medicine Consortium and Trans-American Consortium for the Health Care Systems Research Network will be awarded a total of $5.5 million funds to recruit participants and build infrastructure for this longitudinal research effort. The Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program aims to collect data from more than 1 million participants, in an effort to improve disease treatment and prevention based on individual environmental, genetic and lifestyle differences.
The research participants grant access to their health records, provide blood and urine samples, undergo physical evaluation and share real-time information via smartphones or wearable devices. The NIH says these four additional healthcare provider organizations are "well positioned to enroll over time populations that are often unable to take part in research, such as those with mental illnesses, substance abuse problems, developmental delays and cognitive impairments."