Cardiovascular Genomics
Cardiovascular genomics is a cutting edge translational research area at Duke. Studies range from basic mechanistic approaches to identification of high-risk groups and genomic predictors, to incorporation of genomic tools into daily clinical decision-making. Unique biorepositories and expertise are available across the medical center and university, with strong interdisciplinary synergism facilitating studies that are not possible in other settings. This combination makes Duke a very unique place to study and work in CV genomics. Highlights of this work are presented in the CV Genomics Forum for discussion every Thursday at 9:00-10:30am in the CIEMAS 2240 conference room (all are invited; website for past and future speakers can be found at http://people.genome.duke.edu/~merri034/CVGenomics/).
Unique Multidimensional Genomic Expertise & Biorepositories Available at Duke:
Duke is uniquely poised to study the genomics of CV disease due to collaborations between the university-wide institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP), the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, and a number of other units with special expertise at Duke, including the Center for Human Genetics, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the Sarah Stedman Center for Nutrition & Metabolism, and the joint Duke-UNC proteomics core. Further, Duke University Medical Center' s unique databases of highly phenotyped individuals with CV disease in outpatient, inpatient, and perioperative settings, whose clinical data and blood has been collected prospectively over the last 6-10 years, provide rare opportunities to incorporate genomic science into clinical medicine. The uniqueness of these resources cannot be overemphasized due to their robust, standardized phenotypes, clinical data, adjudicated events, and outcomes of acute cardiovascular events along with high quality DNA, RNA and serum samples that can used for genome scale molecular analyses. Resident within the IGSP and elsewhere on campus are investigators with expertise in analysis of large multidimensional data sets derived from these samples and in building integrated predictive models that will facilitate the utilization of genomic information in clinical trials and in clinical practice.
Example databases include the following:
a. CATHGEN (CATHeterization GENetics): n=6000 highly phenotyped cardiology patients who underwent cardiac catheterization at DUMC between 2001-2006 and have been followed for outcomes).
b. GENECARD (GENetics of Early onset CARdiovascular Disease): n>900 mutigenerational families ascertained for early onset CAD
c. PEGASUS (Perioperative GEnetic And Safety Study U.S.; n=6500 highly phenotyped cardiac surgery patients with carefully documented short and long-term outcomes recorded).
d. VascGEN (Vascular Genetics): Highly phenotyped vascular patients with either claudication or chronic limb ischemia