In Washington D.C., the National Institutes of Health is giving $18.9 million for researchers that will help speed up genome sequencing in clinical care. Their goal is to increase genomic medicine applications for all individuals and groups in actual healthcare settings rather than just theoretical applications at research labs and universities.
The funding is part of the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER2) Consortium and is now going to focus on diverse and underserved populations with an aim of at least 60 percent of participants from those populations. Regina Smith James, M.D., director of Clinical and Health Services Research at NIMHD said in the NIH press release, “Engaging patient populations that are traditionally underrepresented in genomics research, coupled with the inclusion of broader types of healthcare settings, will enrich the data that result from CSER2.”
The awards are going to six clinical sites in North Carolina, Alabama, Oregon, New York, California and Texas and one coordinating center at the University of Washington in Seattle over four years.