Ohio State University’s Medical Center and Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center have formed the “Alliance for Predictive and Personalized Health”. The partnership is aimed at transforming healthcare into a more patient-centered system. The goal is to integrate scientific breakthroughs in genomics and molecular biology along with advances in communications and information technology.
Personalized healthcare is the cornerstone of OSU’s Medical Center’s vision. A few years ago, Ohio State formed the Center for Personalized Health Care. The Center’s purpose is to join programs in biomedical informatics, genomics, and biomarker science, imaging, clinical trials and investigations, employee health managed care, and clinical applications. The university has incorporated personalized healthcare practice into university health plans with the introduction of “Your Plan for Health”
Dr. Daniel Sedmak, Executive Director of the Center for Personalized Health Care said “We have a tremendous opportunity to leverage existing strengths and programs within our institutions, so that we can develop a new model of healthcare that is tailored to the individual patient for prediction, prevention, and treatment.”
Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have established the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute. The Institute’s Center for Health Discovery and Well Being combines a research core to investigate new genetic and protein biomarkers. The Center performs clinical testing and translational research.
The OSU/Emory new Alliance will focus on:
- Genomics/biomarker science—Bio-banking, shared databases and shared core resources focused on cancer genetics, autoimmune imaging, critical care medicine, wound care, and behavioral medicine
- Clinical investigation/clinical trials—Phenotyping and biomarkers, access to information, medical and legal liability issues, education and training to change the culture around personalized healthcare, systems biology, and mathematical bioscience
- Biomedical informatics and information technology—Data integration, hypothesis testing, biomedical informatics, healthcare information systems, high throughput computing, and genomics/proteomics
- Technology transfer and research management—Intellectual property management and technology research and development with a focus on databases, biobanks and biomarkers
- Environment—Integrated approach to environmental risks and health maintenance
- Behavioral science—Behavioral medicine, nutritional science, humanities, and social sciences
- Legal, ethical and health policy
