Verily, the life sciences arm of Alphabet, has partnered with genomics platform Color to deliver actionable genetic information to participants in Verily's Project Baseline Health Study.
Verily launched Project Baseline in partnership with Durham, N.C.-based Duke University School of Medicine and Stanford (Calif.) Medicine in early 2017. The initiative aims to recruit participants for clinical research in order to establish a more accurate and representative map of population health, ultimately resulting in a searchable collection of clinical, behavioral, genetic, environmental, imaging and molecular data.
Within the new partnership, participants who have submitted their genetic information to Project Baseline will have access to Color's physician-ordered, clinical-grade genomic services, board certified genetic counselors and clinical pharmacists, which, together, will provide a better understanding of participants' genetic risks and predispositions.
The aim of the partnership is twofold, according to a blog post from Alicia Zhou, PhD, Color's vice president of research and scientific affairs: to demonstrate researchers' ethical responsibility to return results and insights to study participants, and to prove that offering actionable results can improve clinical research recruitment and engagement.
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