Researchers at UC Davis Health have been awarded a $5.6 million grant through the Coast-to-Coast Consortium to advance their pioneering work with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) All of Us Research Program.
The grant is designed to increase participant engagement, enrollment, data collection and retention. This will build on the foundation set by the California Precision Medicine Consortium. Established in 2018, the consortium has enrolled more than 65,500 people in the program.
Alexander Borowsky, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, leads the research at UC Davis. He underscored the significance of this work.
"The All of Us Research Program provides an unprecedented opportunity to include diverse populations in large-scale genomic research," Borowsky said. "By including individuals from historically underrepresented communities, we can uncover insights into genetic variations that may have been overlooked in the past, ultimately leading to more equitable health care for all."
Becky Worley from ABC News is taking part in the Nutrition for Precision Health study, part of the All of Us Research Program.
Funding includes Nutrition for Precision Health
UC Davis is also one of 14 institutions nationwide to receive funding for the related study, Nutrition for Precision Health. The research investigates personalized diet recommendations to enhance health and prevent disease. Participation requires enrollment in All of Us.
"One distinctive feature of the study," Borowsky said, "is that participants are invited to be active partners in the research process. This transforms the dynamic of our studies. Their invaluable insights and lived experiences enrich every aspect of our work, ensuring that our research is not only scientifically rigorous but also truly meaningful and relevant to the communities we serve."
The Coast-to-Coast Consortium represents a diverse and dynamic network committed to advancing biomedical research and innovation.
UC Davis collaborates with other consortium institutions on research, including Yale University, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University of Southern California and Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation.
The All of Us Research Program provides an unprecedented opportunity to include diverse populations in large-scale genomic research."-Alexander Borowsky, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
More than 100,000 participants have received personalized data
This award follows the program's recent achievement of returning personalized health-related DNA results to more than 100,000 participants.
Returning results to participants involves examining genes associated with serious health conditions such as hereditary cancers and heart disease. Through this process, the program observed 32,500 DNA variants. More than 7,000 of these variants had never been observed among people who had previously had genetic testing.
By empowering participants with actionable information, the program is not only advancing individual health outcomes but also contributing to global genomic medicine research efforts.
Recruitment for All of Us at UC Davis Health is ongoing. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and can be of any health status, gender, race, ethnicity, or cultural background. Participants are invited to an initial in-person visit of 30 minutes to an hour, with regular online updates regarding health and lifestyle in subsequent months and years.
Diverse and comprehensive data drives the research
More than 800,000 people have joined All of Us to contribute to this research effort. They share a wide range of data from biosamples, survey responses, physical measurements, electronic health records and wearable devices.
These data are made broadly available to registered researchers through the program's Researcher Workbench, fostering biomedical research discoveries and promoting health equity.
More than 75% of All of Us participants self-identify with communities historically underrepresented in medical research, while about 45% identify with a racial or ethnic minority group.
Learn more
- Visit the All of Us UC Davis website
- ABC News' Becky Worley joins a research study that could help millions
- UC Davis receives $12.9 million grant aimed at improving health through precision nutrition
Funding
The All of Us Research Program's Coast-to-Coast Consortium is funded by NIH award OT2OD037644. All of Us is a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
