Center for Precision Medicine Archives

Genotype-specific blood counts

Aug. 11, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers report genotype-specific reference ranges to improve interpretation of laboratory blood results in African Americans with a common gene variant that lowers white blood cell counts.

Study explores clinical uses for polygenic risk scores

Jul. 14, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute to assess clinical outcomes and economic value of screening large, diverse health care populations for disease risk using polygenic risk scores.

BMI genetics influence heart function

Jun. 16, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that a genetic predisposition to elevated body mass index increases the risk of diastolic dysfunction — a cardiac condition that can lead to heart failure.

Studies by Andrew Glazer, PhD, Giovanni Davogustto, MD, and colleagues found that genetic testing with information from electronic health records can reveal undiagnosed heart rhythm disorders.

Studies combine genetic testing, electronic health records to find undiagnosed diseases

Apr. 28, 2022—Combining genetic testing with information from electronic health records revealed undiagnosed heart rhythm disorders and new conditions associated with inherited cancer gene mutations.

Study shows gene-drug interactions are common

Sep. 2, 2021—When a drug or combination of drugs causes different responses in different people, genetic variation is often at play. Pharmacogenomics, through discovery of genetic risk and use of clinical genotyping, aims to reduce trial-and-error approaches to drug prescribing.

Grant supports speedy sorting of health records by phenotype

Feb. 11, 2021—Wei-Qi Wei, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics and scientific director of the Precision Phenotyping Core at the Center for Precision Medicine, has been awarded a four-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (grant GM139891) to continue

VUMC team creates COVID-19 research registry

Apr. 23, 2020—Out of the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients seen at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a team in the Department of Biomedical Informatics is creating a COVID-19 patient registry as a platform for research.

Study ‘ignites’ link between genes and drug response

Jul. 25, 2019—A national study is seeking to determine whether genetic testing can help physicians choose the best drugs for their patients to relieve pain and depression.

Lisa Bastarache, MS, Josh Denny, MD, MS, and colleagues are helping researchers study associations among de-identified genotype data and electronic health records data. (photo by John Russell)

PheWAS Core helps researchers make sense of electronic health record data

Feb. 7, 2019—Some biomedical researchers may be unsure about routine electronic health record (EHR) data and how useful it ultimately may prove for drawing meaningful, actionable associations that warrant changes to clinical practice and lead to improved clinical outcomes.

Team explores diabetes drug’s ability to treat RSV infection

Jul. 12, 2018—A drug used to treat diabetes may point to new therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis — inflammation and obstruction of the lungs’ small airways. A multi-disciplinary team of Vanderbilt investigators has demonstrated that liraglutide reduces the inflammatory response to RSV infection in a mouse model of the disease.

Study spots undiagnosed genetic diseases in EHR

Mar. 15, 2018—Patients diagnosed with heart failure, stroke, infertility and kidney failure could actually be suffering from rare and undiagnosed genetic diseases.