Newswise African-Americans dont get kidney stones as frequently as Caucasians.
Are they protected genetically? If so, identifying the genetic factors that retard kidney stone formation could lead to new ways to treat or even prevent this painful condition, according to Vanderbilt University researcher Todd Edwards, Ph.D.
Kidney stones afflict one of every 11 Americans and cost the country more than $2 billion annually. Avoiding them could really make a difference for a lot of people, and could cut health costs dramatically, he said.
Until recently, teasing out complicated kidney stone genetics would have required years of study, tens of thousands of patients and hundreds of millions of dollars. Now thanks to BioVU, Vanderbilts massive DNA databank, the mother lode is within reach.
This month BioVU logged in its 150,000th unique genetic sample. It is now the worlds largest collection of human DNA linked to searchable, electronic health information, said Dan Roden, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for Personalized Medicine at Vanderbilt and BioVUs principal investigator.
BioVU began collecting DNA in 2007. Discarded blood specimens from Vanderbilt patients are sent to the DNA Resources Core, where the genetic material is extracted and stored. If patients check a box on a consent form, their leftover blood will not be used, but few choose to opt out.
The DNA samples are bar-coded and, along with their matching electronic health records, scrubbed of information that could identify individual patients.
The resulting genetic gold mine enables Vanderbilt researchers to quickly pull and analyze the DNA of hundreds of people with particular health conditions or responses to medication.
Before proceeding, BioVU investigators must be approved by Vanderbilts Institutional Review Board, sign a data use agreement, and determine, with the help of a BioVU project manager, the feasibility of their idea. Their proposals are then considered by separate pre-review and full review committees consisting of Vanderbilt faculty members.
To date, more than 50 BioVU studies have been approved and are under way.
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
