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Generally speaking, we know how certain behavior is linked to certain diseases. Don’t smoke. Don’t spend too much time in the sun. Get plenty of physical activity.
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But what if we knew, specifically — down to an individual level — which preventative measures would keep someone healthy, based on that person’s genetics, environment and lifestyle?
Today’s approach to medicine is like a ready to-wear suit. It fits reasonably well and comes in a few universal sizes, like S, M and L, but imagine how well that suit would fit patients after taking into account their individual measurements, so to speak.
An immense new undertaking from the National Institutes of Health aims to change this. Called All of Us, it’s the largest research program funded by the NIH, as well as the largest study conducted in the United States — and Baylor Scott & White Health is currently the only health care provider organization (HPO) in Texas selected to participate.
In this study, we will obtain a participant’s medical information, some genetic and lifestyle information, and some biosamples. This information will join information from the 1 million participants NIH hopes to enroll to create a comprehensive database that physicians, researchers and other parties can use to analyze additional options for prevention and therapeutic measures based on a patient’s profile.
Giovanni Filardo, Ph.D., the Bradley Family Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is the principal investigator (PI) of the study at Baylor, along with co-PIs Cara East, M.D., Michael DiMaio, M.D., Crawford Allison, M.D., and Michael Mack, M.D. They join researchers from 42 HPOs, including Northwestern Medicine, Boston University, Cedars-Sinai and others, to participate in All of Us. The NIH was drawn to BSWH because of the enrollment potential of the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas and Dr. Filardo’s successful NIH-funding track record (his research has previously garnered more than $6.5 million in grants from federal research agencies and industry groups). A key goal for NIH is to enroll groups historically under represented in medical research. For All of Us, the NIH could potentially award BSWH up to $14.8 million over five years.
Philanthropy’s Role in All of Us
Being able to participate in a research program of the scope of All of Us would not be possible without previous philanthropic support. The NIH considers institutional commitment to research when it selects study sites. Without donor funding, many researchers would not have time or resourced support to do much of their research, or even to apply to participate in a study of this magnitude.
“Because of Foundation support, I’ve had time to write the grant proposals to the NIH,” said Dr. Filardo. “The support that is received from the Foundation is critical.”
That initial support came from Billye Bradley of Eastland, Texas. Billye was so grateful for the care she and her family received over the years, she had plans to include Baylor Scott & White in her will. However, after learning about the importance of “seed grants” to help researchers prove concepts before applying for large, federal grants, she was inspired to also provide support during her lifetime. In 2011, Billye made a $1 million gift, to fund the Bradley Family Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Epidemiology, a position currently held by Dr. Filardo.
“To be able to run a study of any size, you need institutional commitment,” Dr. Filardo said. “Having a Foundation that has donors who are willing to support research is huge for NIH, because it shows that there is commitment, both at the institutional level and among the community.”
Now Enrolling BSWH
is tasked with enrolling 26,000 patients by 2023. Meeting that target means enrolling 20 to 30 people a day. “This is unheard of in any study at any level,” Dr. Filardo said. BSWH is currently enrolling patients at four sites: Baylor Scott & White Heart & Vascular Hospital – Dallas, Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest in Waco and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano. Two Temple locations will also be enrolling patients. The team has been recruiting for seven months and is on pace to meet the enrollment goal.
For more information about Baylor Scott & White’s research initiatives,
contact Sarah Burdi at 214.820.4721 or Sarah.Burdi@BSWHealth.org.
