Intermountain Healthcare https://intermountainhealthcare.org and deCODE genetics https://www.decode.com have announced a major global collaboration and study focused on discovering new connections between genetics and human diseases that will involve the collection of half a million DNA samples.
The initiative called the “HerediGene: Population Study” represents the largest and most comprehensive DNA mapping effort to date in the U.S from a single population. Intermountain teams will work with deCODE to analyze the genomes of 500,000 people from Intermountain’s patient population primarily in Utah and Idaho.
Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based not-for-profit integrated healthcare delivery network, and deCODE Genetics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amgen based in Reykjavik Iceland. The collaborative effort combines Intermountain’s expertise in precision medicine and clinical care with deCODE’s expertise in human population genetics.
“While the 500,000 samples will be collected primarily from patients in Utah, the research is expected to have a global impact as medications, treatments, and healthcare innovations able to benefit patients universally are developed from the findings,” said Lincoln Nadauld, MD, PhD, Intermountain’s Chief of Precision Health.