The All of Us Research Program, an element of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI), will allow researchers, health care providers, and patients to work together and develop individualized care. In a truly historic effort, the All of Us Research Program aims to collect data from more than 1 million people to accelerate health research and medical innovation through precision medicine. This project is a network of US industry and universities that seeks to generate new knowledge on the biological, environmental, and behavioral influences on diseases with the goal of developing more effective therapies to treat them by leveraging the statistical power of a cohort of this significant size.
Currently in beta testing, the All of Us Research Program will look to identify and enroll a diverse group of interested and eligible participants later this year. Interested individuals over the age of 18 and living in the US are encouraged to apply when enrollment opens by visiting www.joinallofus.org.
In order to spread awareness of the program, NIH has announced a 37-week national tour called the All of Us Journey. This traveling exhibit officially kicked off in July 2017 with dates through 2018. Recognizing the value of engaging with trusted health care partners in local communities, the All of Us Journey is looking to coordinate with local community members to participate in events. These events will educate the community on the All of Us Research Program and provide individuals the opportunity to have their questions answered and enroll on-site.
In response to the announcement, the Chair of the ASN Policy and Advocacy Committee, Crystal Gadegbeku, MD, stated: “ASN appreciates that the National Institutes of Health has recognized the value of individualized care and the benefits it could provide to patients. I am truly excited about the promise that the All of Us Research Program offers for both the broader medical community and minority patients. By placing an emphasis on both a diversity of disease modalities and patient demographics, the cohort will serve as an invaluable tool for medical researchers and increase the likelihood of developing new therapies.”
While the All of Us Research Program will collect information from individuals with a variety of diseases, the American Society of Nephrology recognizes the value of the opportunity for patients with kidney diseases to participate in this program and encourages health care providers to collaborate with the All of Us Journey.
More information, including how to apply to host the All of Us Journey and where and when the tour will be traveling, can be found by visiting https://www.asn-online.org/policy/webdocs/All_of_Us_Journey.pdf.
