Institute of Personalized Medicine - PUMA IPM

Initial Protocol Released for "All of Us" Research Program

The NIH released the initial research protocol for the All of Us Research Program. Read the full announcement and the frequently asked questions releases.  

Beta Testing Begins for NIH’s "All of Us" Research Program

The All of Us Research Program has begun enrolling its first participants as beta testers of the All of Us Research Program. Read more about this major milestone and their progress to date.

 Welcome to our Newest Member

Zachary T. Rivers is pursuing a PhD in Social and Administrative Pharmacy at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, where he previously earned his PharmD. His current research interests include economic evaluations of personalized/precision medicine, and integration of personalized/precision medicine into clinical practice. In addition to his academic and research pursuits, he works at the M Health Clinics and Surgery Center Masonic Cancer Clinic as an Oncology Clinical Pharmacist.  Read his bio here

The Precision Medicine and Health Disparities Summit 

The Precision Medicine and Health Disparities Summit was held on Monday, March 27, 2017 at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Duluth. The workshop was designed to consider precision medicine in the context of health disparities, to introduce the intent and initiatives of the new Minnesota Precision Medicine Collaborative (MPMC), and to broadly discuss the potential for new research collaborations among University of Minnesota faculty, community partners, and healthcare systems within the state. The summit was hosted by the University of Minnesota Medical School; Duluth Campus and the Minnesota Precision Medicine Collaborative. See Summit program

 Welcome Member David Stenehjem!

David joined the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences in February 2017. His research will focus on delivering innovative cancer trials to northern Minnesota and understanding the effectiveness and value of precision medicine in oncology.  He completed his PharmD at the U of M and was previously assistant professor and clinical oncology pharmacist at the University of Utah and the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Fairview Health Services: Can Genetic Tests Improve High Blood Pressure Care?

Fairview Health Services is working with a local genetics research firm to determine if DNA tests can steer patients to more effective treatment for high blood pressure. Researchers hope the genetic testing and customized treatment will result in more patients getting their blood pressure under control in less time. Read more about the genetic testing.

U-PGx: Treatment Optimization Accessible to Every European Citizen

A new project titled "U-PGx" aims to make effective treatment optimization accessible to every European citizen. The U-PGx consortium will examine whether pre-emptive genotyping of an entire panel of genetic markers is cost-effective and results in a better outcome for patients. Read more about the project.

21st Century Cures Initiative Passed

Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Initiative, a $6.3 billion medial research bill. The bill authorizes significant funding for various health care related programs over the next 10 years, including $1.5 billion for Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative.

U of M Grand Challenge Collaboration Research Grant Awarded to Precision Medicine

"Minnesota Precision Medicine Collaborative: Transforming health and advancing equity," was named one of eight U of M Grand Challenges Research collaboration grants to advance the research goals of the TC Campus Strategic Plan over the next ten years.

The Interdisciplinary Work Group, comprised of 14 faculty across the University, proposed precision medicine as a means to transform health and address health disparities.  The initiative will use genomics, informatics, bioengineering, analysis of environmental exposures, and behavioral sciences, to tailor health care to the challenges facing individuals and their communities. This ambitious approach will fundamentally alter our understanding of health, disease prevention, and treatment. Core to this project is partnering across the state of Minnesota with citizens, patients, and healthcare providers to understand and effectively address major health problems.  

Co-PIs: Ellen Demerath, Epidemiology & Community Health; Pamala Jacobson, Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology; Kingshuk Sinha, Supply Chain & Operations; Susan M. Wolf, Law, Medicine & Public Policy

Team Members: Gerald August, Family Social Science; Marilyn Bruin, Design, Housing, & Apparel; Michael Conzemius, Veterinary Clinical Sciences; Jigna Desai, Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies; Joseph Gaugler, Nursing; Christy Haynes, Chemistry; Bin He, Biomedical Engineering; Dan Knights, Computer Science & Engineering; Alex Rothman, Psychology; Paula Termuhlen, Surgery; Jakub Tolar, Pediatrics, Stem Cell Biology, Genetics & Genomics

Read more on the Grand Challenge Research Grants awards

U of M Grand Challenges Exploratory Research Grants Awarded to Precision Medicine

Development of a clinical precision medicine program in ovarian cancer as a paradigm for 21st century tailored health care solutions 

Co-PIs: Boris Winterhoff, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s health, Andrew Nelson, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology; Joshua Baller, Supercomputing Institute; Constantin Aliferis, Medicine; Pamala Jacobson, Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology 

Team Members: Ahmad Abusalah, Institute for Health Informatics; Peter Argenta, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Subbaya Subramanian, Surgery; Martina Bazzaro, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Linda Carson, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Melissa Geller, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Mahmoud Khalifa, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology; Sally Mullany, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Steve Shen, Institute for Health Informatics; Tim Starr, Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health; Gyorgy Simon, Institute for Health Informatics

A community-based approach toward advancing personalized medicine in underserved populations 

Co-PIs: Kathleen A. Culhane-Pera, Family Medicine; Robert J. Straka, Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology; Bharat Thyagarajan, Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

Team Members: Jeffrey Bishop, Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology; Muaj Lo, West Side Community Health Services; Heather Zierhut, Genetics, Cell Biology, & Development