What Kind of Research is Possible?
The NW Biobank is making it possible to discover the role genes play in many diseases. By linking people’s stored DNA to their medical records, researchers can connect people’s genetic information with their real-world health care, including vital signs, diagnoses and treatments.
One example:
We don’t understand what causes high blood pressure in most people. But researchers are exploring whether rare gene variants may be a cause.
Researchers from the Center for Health Research and Oregon Health & Sciences University are using electronic medical records (EMRs) to identify people who respond well to thiazide diuretics—a group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure. Until now, it has been tricky and expensive to learn whether a person responds well to a thiazide, but the researchers have shown that they can use the EMR to effectively and inexpensively identify this group by looking at their blood pressures before and after getting a prescription for the drug.
After identifying responders, the next step will be to closely examine these individuals’ DNA—stored in the Biobank—to see whether there may be a genetic reason that explains their responsiveness. Identifying the thiazide-sensitive people first makes it more likely that, by sifting through their DNA, researchers will find a genetic marker that will indicate how people will respond to the drug. Having this information can help a doctor decide the best drug to use to treat high blood pressure.
To give you an idea of what other kinds of research are possible, here are some genetic studies that have been conducted at the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest. Click on the title of the study to read more about it.
Project descriptions
Colorectal Personalized Medicine This study used specimens to study survival in people with metastatic colorectal cancer who are treated with a chemotherapy treatment called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, and how this depends on the mutation status of their KRAS gene.
CTX This study is using specimens to develop an estimate of how many people in the general population have a rare genetic disorder called cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX). This disease is treatable if caught early in life. If the method used to test the samples works well, then the test may be developed and used as a method to screen newborns for the disease.
Thiazide The purpose of this study is to identify genetic factors that control blood pressure and lead to hypertension (i.e., high blood pressure). We studied a particular subset of people with hypertension who respond to treatment with Thiazides because they may be more likely to share similar genetic factors that contribute to their disease.
Cardiovascular Disease Specimens are used to provide a comparison to other samples collected from people known to have a genetic mutation related to a condition called Long QT Syndrome. The KPNW samples are representative of the general population and provides this comparison set.
Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research - 3800 N. Interstate Ave. - Portland, OR 97227