Genomic studies promise a revolution in medicine, health care

Genomics studies promise to revolutionize medicine and health care in this century. The Indiana Genomics Initiative, underwritten by a $105 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, will place Indiana University among the leaders in this revolution with programs in research, education, training and a strong emphasis on bioethics.

INGEN is the largest research undertaking in the history of IU and the IU School of Medicine, one that will provide the resources for a substantial expansion of basic science programs. But it’s built on a foundation of research at IU that includes world-class work in such fields as cancer, cardiology, biology, gene therapy, genetics, medical information systems, stem cell development and hematology. In recent years, IU also has developed one of the nation’s most powerful computer networks for academic research.

Scientists have made dramatic progress in recent decades unraveling genetic secrets, learning how individual genes can have dramatic effects on health. Now, however, researchers can study, simultaneously, thousands of genes and the interactions among them, the proteins they produce and a host of environmental factors.

The fundamental research goal of Indiana Genomics Initiative is to establish the relationships between human genotypes and the physical and biologic characteristics of tissues and organ systems—relationships that can lead to genetically complex diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.

Such research will generate mammoth amounts of laboratory and medical data, requiring powerful new computing, storage and analysis resources.

Six major programs in genomics, bioethics, medical informatics, bioinformatics, education and training will comprise the heart of the initiative. The six programs will be supported by nine “cores,” which are specialized areas of faculty expertise and research tools such as high speed computers, high speed robotic DNA sequencing machines and advanced medical imaging systems. The success of the Indiana Genomics Initiative will be built on the collaboration of each of these programs and cores.