Personalized Medicine Research Project

Researchers at Marshfield Clinic want to learn more about how genetic alterations cause diseases, how to use an individual's genetic information to predict which diseases he or she is likely to get, and which medications work best for a particular person. The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project could lead to the development of new medications or diagnostic tests.

The goal of the Personalized Medicine Research Project is to translate genetic data into specific knowledge about disease that is clinically relevant and will enhance patient care. This will happen by helping physicians diagnose genetically influenced problems, prescribe personal preventive measures, and select the most effective medications that are least likely to cause adverse reactions.

The project has three phases:

• Completed in April 2004, the objectives of Phase I were to educate, inform and consult with the Marshfield Epidemiologic Study Area population and communities concerning potential studies, create the DNA foundation of the personalized medicine database and build the bioinformatics tools to store securely and analyze genotypic and phenotypic data. The budget for Phase I tasks was $3,638,000, which also included operation of the ethics and security advisory board, scientific advisory board and community advisory group. More than 18,000 residents participated in Phase I.
• The objectives of Phase II are to create the phenotypic database, establish the scientific and administrative infrastructure to support genetic mapping of the DNA and the initial discovery projects and genotype a sufficient portion of the genetic material to support these discovery projects.
• The objectives of Phase III are to expand the discovery projects, complete the genotyping of the genetic database and expand physician/health care provider education and community consultation.