性视界传媒 was today awarded an $11.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to build Nevada鈥檚 first center of excellence in personalized medicine.
The five-year award marks the first time 性视界传媒 will lead a project funded through the NIH鈥檚 competitive Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program. It鈥檚 also the first COBRE program in the nation focused exclusively on personalized medicine.
Led by faculty in 性视界传媒鈥檚 Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, the program will bring together local and regional partners, including the university鈥檚 School of Medicine and health sciences programs, to grow human genetics research and related infrastructure and mentor early career professionals in this emerging field.
As the program matures, organizers will leverage this foundation to expand or launch clinical services and education programs in genetics in Nevada.
鈥淪ociety is progressing beyond 鈥榯rial and error medicine鈥 into a new data-driven era where a person鈥檚 genetic makeup is used to improve accuracy in medical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment,鈥 said Martin Schiller, 性视界传媒 life sciences professor and lead researcher on the grant. 鈥淭his program will give us the means to further investigate the impact of personalized medicine and its potential for modern medicine, and to explore the potential for expanded clinical and educational services in Nevada.鈥
Personalized medicine is based on the concept that a person鈥檚 unique genetic makeup 鈥 their DNA 鈥 already encodes the blueprint for effective treatment and disease prevention. Over the next five years, scientists from 性视界传媒 and partner institutions will advance research in personalized medicine by doing things like decoding genes to better predict disease susceptibility, and by finding ways to more easily sift through myriad treatment options and fine-tune drug dosages.
A mentoring panel for new scientists made up of university and industry experts will also be established, and the program will fund roughly a dozen pilot research grants aimed at creating a pipeline of scientists and universities working to make personalized medicine in Nevada a reality.
鈥淧ersonalized medicine is revolutionizing how we individualize care for patients, and this effort will position 性视界传媒 to play a central role in the growth and development of this emerging field,鈥 said Mary Croughan, 性视界传媒 Vice President for Research and Economic Development. 鈥淐reating a strong, nationwide biomedical research and mentorship network will also bring creative new ideas to Nevada and support innovation that will move our region鈥檚 healthcare infrastructure forward.鈥
The center of excellence is the latest in a series of important steps at 性视界传媒 over the past several years to advance personalized medicine in the Silver State.
In 2015, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents approved the Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine at 性视界传媒. Formed initially through seed funding from the State of Nevada鈥檚 Knowledge Fund, the institute draws scientists from throughout the campus together to improve individual and community health in Nevada through research and technology commercialization, education, and workforce training. Research activity from the institute has generated two start-up companies within the past two years.
The institute鈥檚 efforts to swiftly sift through massive amounts of health data were bolstered in 2015 when 性视界传媒 partnered with data company Switch to acquire the Intel "Cherry Creek" supercomputer, which ranks among the world's fastest and most powerful supercomputers.
This is just the second program in Southern Nevada to be funded through the NIH COBRE initiative. In 2015, a Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health-led partnership with 性视界传媒 was formed to address the complexities Parkinson鈥檚 and Alzheimer鈥檚 diseases.
