Alexander Bick, MD, PhD
Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine, has been appointed Scientific Director of VANTAGE, a shared resource that is a crucial part of Vanderbilt Health’s genome science and personalized medicine initiatives.
Effective Sept. 1, Bick, Associate Professor of Medicine and holder of the Edward Claiborne Stahlman Chair, will succeed Simon Mallal, MBBS, Professor of Medicine, holder of the Major E.B. Stahlman Chair in Infectious Diseases and Inflammation, and Director of the Center for Translational Immunology and Infectious Diseases.
Bick, known internationally for research on the genetics of blood disorders, also is Principal Investigator of Vanderbilt Health’s BioVU, the world’s largest repository of genetic material linked to de-identified electronic health records that is based at a single academic center.
“Dr. Bick’s scientific leadership, strategic vision and deep understanding of Vanderbilt’s genomics ecosystem position him exceptionally well to guide VANTAGE into its next chapter of impact,” said Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Vanderbilt Health’s Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Research.
Vanderbilt Technologies for Advanced Genomics (VANTAGE) is a one-stop genomics research resource that offers sample biobanking, genome sequencing, single-cell and spatial multiomic profiling, and other specialized services. Mallal has served as scientific director since 2015.
Pietenpol thanked Mallal and Suman Das, PhD, Associate Director for Microbial Genetics, for their outstanding leadership, under which, she said, “VANTAGE experienced remarkable growth in its genomics and biobanking capabilities, becoming an indispensable resource for investigators across Vanderbilt and beyond.
“VANTAGE is a premier genomics shared resource,” noted Pietenpol, who holds the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development, “well positioned for continued growth, innovation and scientific impact.”
“VANTAGE could not be in better hands,” said Mallal, citing Bick’s “exceptional scientific vision and expertise,” its outstanding managers, Angela Jones and Karen Beeri, and staff. “I have every confidence they will propel VANTAGE into its next phase of discovery and, with it, real improvements in patient care,” he said.
“As an early-career researcher at Vanderbilt,” Bick responded, “my own work directly benefited from the incredible foundation Drs. Mallal and Das built at VANTAGE, making it a true privilege to pick up the baton from them.
“VANTAGE provides critical infrastructure and scientific expertise that accelerates and scales the impact of investigators across our institution, transforming patient samples into biological insights and therapies, ultimately leading to more personalized care,” he said. “I am so excited to support VANTAGE and our investigator community in the years ahead!”
VANTAGE began with an $8.6 million grant awarded in 2010 by the National Institutes of Health under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to modernize more than 12,500 square feet of laboratory space in Medical Center North and purchase cutting-edge scientific equipment.
Renovation was completed in 2012, and VANTAGE initially was directed by James Crowe Jr., MD, the Ann Scott Carell Professor and University Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Chemistry who leads the Vanderbilt Center for Antibody Therapeutics.
“The VANTAGE team played a critical role in supporting the Alliance for Genomic Discovery,” Pietenpol said, “successfully processing and managing biospecimens (stored in BioVU) at an unprecedented scale.”
Launched in 2022 as a collaboration between Nashville Biosciences, a wholly owned, for-profit Vanderbilt Health subsidiary, and the biotechnology firm Illumina to extend BioVU’s impact on research through whole genome sequencing, the alliance now includes 10 pharmaceutical company partners. More than 300,000 whole genomes have been sequenced to date.
Current VANTAGE-aided studies include the use of artificial intelligence techniques to generate new antibody therapeutics; how environmental exposures may impact the health of children; the mechanism by which cancer immunotherapy can cause heart disease; and a potential blood test to speed the diagnosis of osteoporosis.
“As genomics, biobanking, data science and precision medicine continue to converge,” Pietenpol observed, “we believe the next phase of VANTAGE’s evolution will require even closer alignment among the biospecimen enterprise, genomic technologies and clinical translation.”
