NEW YORK – Health technology company Vibrent Health and University of Maryland Medicine said on Thursday that they are collaborating to create the All of Maryland Precision Health Initiative, a digital platform to study how genes and other factors affect health.
The study's long-term aim is to be able to tailor treatments to patients' individual health profiles. It will leverage Vibrent's experience developing the NIH-sponsored All of Us Research Program, which launched in 2018.
Investigators seek a broad set of health data, including genomic information, from up to 250,000 volunteers from across Maryland, with emphasis on underserved populations that typically experience greater rates of illness and shorter average lifespans due to healthcare disparities.
This data is expected to help researchers understand how human genomic variation relates to disease and treatment.
The study, to be led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine will rely on Vibrent Health's Digital Health Solutions Platform, which features an online portal and mobile applications for participants, along with software tools and services to support study partners and researchers.
Data will be collected through the platform using e-consent, surveys, electronic health records, genomic information, and wearable devices, among other sources.
The university anticipates that the research program will help University of Maryland Medicine, which includes UMSOM and the University of Maryland Medical Center, become a magnet for research funding, as well as attract top students interested in precision medicine.
"This program will allow us to engage as partners with research participants who represent the rich diversity of our state," Stephen Davis, the study's principal investigator, said in a statement. "We will integrate clinical informatics and mobile technologies with big data analytics to create a dynamic resource for research and learning healthcare environment delivery."