[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":768,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The richness of the data being gleaned from the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 Million Veteran Program is enabling researchers to begin to shed light on the genetics of a range of medical conditions.

\u201cToday, eight years after it began, it is the largest mega-biobank in the world,\u201d according to Carolyn Clancy, MD, deputy undersecretary for discovery, education and affiliate networks for the Veterans Health Administration. \u201cOver 750,000 veterans from all 50 states, Guam and Puerto Rico have enrolled, and we also have their clinical electronic data\u2014which makes it literally a unique resource in the world.\u201d

The VA\u2019s MVP research program is designed to link genetic, clinical, lifestyle and military-exposure information to better understand the impact on the health\u2014and illness\u2014of veterans.

Also See<\/b>: VA database helps yield discovery on blood pressure genetics<\/a>

Volunteers donate blood, give permission to researchers to access their electronic health records, as well as agree to take a baseline and periodic follow-up surveys.

Clancy told a House committee on Wednesday that the VA is working with the University of Chicago and the Open Commons Consortium to pilot a data commons where de-identified data from MVP and EHRs will be made available to the research community.

\u201cAn essential step to realize our promise to participants to advance precision medicine is to establish a modern computational infrastructure that can scale to support hundreds of analyses occurring in parallel,\u201d Clancy testified. \u201cOur goal is to have the infrastructure and services to support a minimum of 100 parallel projects in the VA Data Commons by the end of fiscal year 2021.\u201d

On a related note, Clancy said that her office is \u201cactively working with Cerner\u201d to ensure that the VA\u2019s transition over 10 years from its legacy VistA system to Cerner\u2019s Millennium platform will support MVP\u2019s research needs. At the same time, she commented that \u201cit\u2019s safe to say that they probably don\u2019t have a customer with the extent and depth of the research that we support.\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019ve all highlighted how rich VA data are and currently those data are held in a VistA system\u201d added Rachel Ramoni, the VA\u2019s chief research and development officer. \u201cOne of the key factors in ensuring that we continue to derive value from that data for our veterans is that the historical data be maintained, and that it not simply be mapped to the new system\u2014because you lose information when you map it to a new system.\u201d

Separately, Clancy said the VA is partnering with the Department of Defense to \u201cfollow thousands of veterans with mild traumatic brain injury experienced in combat\u2014each of these participants undergoes intensive bio-sampling and imaging, enabling us to identify biomarkers associated with brain injury and comorbidities like PTSD.\u201d

Clancy also said that the VA is funding a study of precision medicine\u2019s role in improving treatment for veterans with major depressive disorder. As part of the PRecision medicine In MEntal health Care (PRIME Care), volunteers will submit a cheek swab so researchers can test their DNA to determine which antidepressant to prescribe.

According to Clancy, the study will determine whether \u201cmatching veterans with depression to medications based on their genetic variation leads to improved outcomes.\u201d

As part of another MVP initiative, the Department of Energy\u2019s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is partnering with the VA under the Computational Health Analytics for Medical Precision to Improve Outcomes Now (CHAMPION), with an initial focus on three health problems that affect the largest number of veterans\u2014cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and suicide.

\u201cWe\u2019ve just completed the (Institutional Review Board) approvals for the three (CHAMPION) projects,\u201d testified Sumitra Muralidhar, program director for MVP in VHA\u2019s Office of Research and Development. \u201cThe computing environment is ready in the Department of Energy. We\u2019re just waiting to get the work started.\u201d","saveContent":"The richness of the data being gleaned from the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 Million Veteran Program is enabling researchers to begin to shed light on the genetics of a range of medical conditions.

\u201cToday, eight years after it began, it is the largest mega-biobank in the world,\u201d according to Carolyn Clancy, MD, deputy undersecretary for discovery, education and affiliate networks for the Veterans Health Administration. \u201cOver 750,000 veterans from all 50 states, Guam and Puerto Rico have enrolled, and we also have their clinical electronic data\u2014which makes it literally a unique resource in the world.\u201d

The VA\u2019s MVP research program is designed to link genetic, clinical, lifestyle and military-exposure information to better understand the impact on the health\u2014and illness\u2014of veterans.

Also See<\/b>: VA database helps yield discovery on blood pressure genetics<\/a>

Volunteers donate blood, give permission to researchers to access their electronic health records, as well as agree to take a baseline and periodic follow-up surveys.

Clancy told a House committee on Wednesday that the VA is working with the University of Chicago and the Open Commons Consortium to pilot a data commons where de-identified data from MVP and EHRs will be made available to the research community.

\u201cAn essential step to realize our promise to participants to advance precision medicine is to establish a modern computational infrastructure that can scale to support hundreds of analyses occurring in parallel,\u201d Clancy testified. \u201cOur goal is to have the infrastructure and services to support a minimum of 100 parallel projects in the VA Data Commons by the end of fiscal year 2021.\u201d

On a related note, Clancy said that her office is \u201cactively working with Cerner\u201d to ensure that the VA\u2019s transition over 10 years from its legacy VistA system to Cerner\u2019s Millennium platform will support MVP\u2019s research needs. At the same time, she commented that \u201cit\u2019s safe to say that they probably don\u2019t have a customer with the extent and depth of the research that we support.\u201d

\u201cWe\u2019ve all highlighted how rich VA data are and currently those data are held in a VistA system\u201d added Rachel Ramoni, the VA\u2019s chief research and development officer. \u201cOne of the key factors in ensuring that we continue to derive value from that data for our veterans is that the historical data be maintained, and that it not simply be mapped to the new system\u2014because you lose information when you map it to a new system.\u201d

Separately, Clancy said the VA is partnering with the Department of Defense to \u201cfollow thousands of veterans with mild traumatic brain injury experienced in combat\u2014each of these participants undergoes intensive bio-sampling and imaging, enabling us to identify biomarkers associated with brain injury and comorbidities like PTSD.\u201d

Clancy also said that the VA is funding a study of precision medicine\u2019s role in improving treatment for veterans with major depressive disorder. As part of the PRecision medicine In MEntal health Care (PRIME Care), volunteers will submit a cheek swab so researchers can test their DNA to determine which antidepressant to prescribe.

According to Clancy, the study will determine whether \u201cmatching veterans with depression to medications based on their genetic variation leads to improved outcomes.\u201d

As part of another MVP initiative, the Department of Energy\u2019s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is partnering with the VA under the Computational Health Analytics for Medical Precision to Improve Outcomes Now (CHAMPION), with an initial focus on three health problems that affect the largest number of veterans\u2014cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and suicide.

\u201cWe\u2019ve just completed the (Institutional Review Board) approvals for the three (CHAMPION) projects,\u201d testified Sumitra Muralidhar, program director for MVP in VHA\u2019s Office of Research and Development. \u201cThe computing environment is ready in the Department of Energy. We\u2019re just waiting to get the work started.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

VA contends that it now has the world’s largest biobank

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