The Ohio State University Wexner Medical School and genomics company Helix are launching the largest precision health initiative in Ohio.
The program, named Ohio State Genomic Health, plans to enroll 100,000 participants over four years and will provide information about potential risks for health conditions by screening for variants in genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer and high cholesterol. Nationwide, nearly five million people are at an increased risk for one of these conditions.
Population genomics efforts are becoming more common. Besides the national NIH-sponsored All of Us research program, the State of Maryland announced the “All of Maryland” precision medicine initiative. Helix also has worked with Renown Health on the Healthy Nevada project, on Mayo Tapestry with the Mayo Clinic, and with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
In a 2021 interview with Healthcare Innovation, James Lu, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Helix, said that Helix has found that deep integration with the clinical system is essential for closing the loop in these initatives. “Part of that is to drive the personal value on the clinical side from a screening perspective. But secondarily, there’s no point in screening people if you don’t follow through. I think that has been a major problem with some of the consumer-initiated programs where you give someone the result and they take it to their physician, and the physician says, ‘What is this?’ The ability to support providers to make sure that we really do close that loop is going to be really important here.”
In Ohio, participants may use this genetic information to help prevent disease or detect it at earlier, more treatable stages. The research program will also enable the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to uncover any risks that might be occurring at disproportionate levels so that proactive health programs can be developed for the broader community.
“This partnership will expand and accelerate research across Ohio State focused on understanding mechanisms underlying human disease as well as development of diagnostics and treatments for patients. This is a critical platform for prevention and treatment,” said Peter Mohler, Ph.D., executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge at OSU, and chief scientific officer at Wexner Medical Center, in a statement.
By partnering with Helix, Ohio State will leverage Helix’s proprietary Exome+ assay and “Sequence Once, Query Often” model to perform whole-exome sequencing and interpret the specific genes related to the test being ordered. Helix will then continue to store a participant’s genetic information for future clinical use. This will allow, with a patient’s permission, healthcare providers to order future medically necessary genetic tests without the need to collect an additional DNA sample in most cases. This will give providers and their patients access to ongoing genetic insights about their health throughout their lifetime.
“Our other programs have found that 1 in 75 participants received a positive result for one of these serious, actionable genetic conditions. We are proud to partner with Ohio State to positively impact public health across the state and enable individuals to take greater control of their health, said Lu in a statement.
Participation in Ohio State Genomic Health will be optional and at no cost, with more details to be provided to Ohio residents prior to its official launch later this year.
