Research Roundup

Genomic Data Release Opens New Paths for Discovery

The All of Us Research Program just announced the launch of the Researcher Workbench’s Controlled Tier and its initial set of genomic data. This dataset integrates nearly 100,000 whole genome sequences (WGS) and more than 165,000 genomic arrays with information that can identify specific genes individuals carry. In this momentous milestone for All of Us, nearly 50% of the genetic data available comes from participants who self-report as being part of a racial or ethnic minority group, putting this dataset on the leading edge of available research data.

“For the first time, we will have an opportunity to really understand the genetic architecture of health and disease across the diverse makeup of our country’s population,” says All of Us Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Geoff Ginsburg, M.D., Ph.D.

Read the full story.

Spotlight: Replicating Published Findings on Hypertension Prevalence in Diverse Populations

Paulette D. Chandler, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recently led a team of researchers to conduct one of many demonstration projects through the Researcher Workbench. The team used All of Us data drawn from electronic health records, physical measurements, and participant surveys to examine retrospectively the prevalence of hypertension (HTN) across the All of Us participant cohort.

“Through this demonstration project, we were able to validate the HTN algorithm that was established by eMERGE III and prove the validity of the All of Us dataset as a tool for developing and testing other rule-based algorithms,” said Dr. Chandler.

Read the Spotlight.

Funding Opportunities

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program supports recruitment of diverse cohorts of early-career faculty committed to inclusive excellence in various NIH mission areas. A new funding announcement for this program has been published. Are you an early stage investigator with a strong commitment to promoting diversity and inclusive excellence? You might be eligible. Learn more and apply here by July 13, 2022.
• NIH recently released a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) for research to address vaccine hesitancy, uptake, and implementation among populations who experience health disparities in the U.S. A number of funding opportunity announcements and details are included in this NOSI. Learn more about various application details and deadlines.
• NIH released a NOSI that highlights the need for research that aims to promote health equity in the prevention, treatment, and management of eye and vision conditions. Learn more about various application details and deadlines.
• As part of the NIH-wide UNITE initiative, the Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity at Minority Serving Institutions initiative is seeking applications to support scientists who propose projects that would have a major impact in developing, implementing, or disseminating interventions to prevent, reduce, or eliminate health disparities and advance health equity. Learn more and apply by May 23, 2022.
• The Healthy Americas Foundation has announced the availability of Cervical Cancer and Screening Research Grants (CCSR Grants) to support 20 scholars in conducting research on cervical cancer and screening among Hispanic women. Each scholar will receive $10,000 to support their research project. All project proposals should draw data in whole or in part from the All of Us Research Hub. Support for this grants program is from an unrestricted grant from Hologic. Learn more and apply by March 30, 2022.
• Intel has partnered with All of Us to support COVID-19 and related research. Researchers who undertake COVID-19 research within the Researcher Workbench may be eligible to receive compute credits for their work. Learn more about this partnership and the chance to receive credits.

Testimonial: Dr. Sally Baxter

Sally Baxter, M.D., M.Sc., is an All of Us researcher at the University of California, San Diego Health who is interested in using electronic health record data to understand risk stratification and precision medicine in ophthalmology.

Listen to Dr. Baxter explain how the Researcher Workbench has fueled her research and the value it has brought to her own studies.

Featured Publications

Recent publications demonstrate both the power and potential of the All of Us dataset. The dataset represents reproducibility, a diverse participant cohort, and a robust collection of data, including EHRs, surveys, and various samples. Below are recently published All of Us–related studies:

• Armstrong, K., & Ritchie, C. (2022). Research participation in marginalized communities — overcoming barriers. New England Journal of Medicine, 386(3), 203–205. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2115621.
• Bastarache, L., Denny, J. C., & Roden, D. M. (2022). Phenome-wide association studies. JAMA, 327(1), 75–76. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.20356.
• Clark, C. R., Chandler, P. D., Zhou, G., Noel, N., Achilike, C., Mendez, L., et al. (2021). Geographic variation in obesity at the state level in the All of Us Research Program. Preventing Chronic Disease, 18, 210094. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.210094.
• Delavar, A., Radha Saseendrakumar, B., Weinreb, R. N., & Baxter, S. L. (2022). Racial and ethnic disparities in cost-related barriers to medication adherence among patients with glaucoma enrolled in the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program. JAMA Ophthalmology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.0055.
• Hull, L. E., & Natarajan, P. (2022). Self-rated family health history knowledge among All of Us program participants. Genetics in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2021.12.006.
• Leasure, A. C., & Cohen, J. M. (2022). Prevalence of eczema among adults in the United States: A cross-sectional study in the All of Us research program. Archives of Dermatological Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-022-02328-0.
• McDermott, J. J., Lee, T. C., Chan, A. X., Ye, G. Y., Shahrvini, B., Radha Saseendrakumar, B., et al. (2022). Novel association between opioid use and increased risk of retinal vein occlusion using the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program. Ophthalmology Science, 2(1), 100099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2021.100099.
• Renedo, D., Acosta, J. N., Sujijantarat, N., Antonios, J. P., Koo, A. B., Sheth, K. N., et al. (2022). Carotid artery disease among broadly defined underrepresented groups: The All of Us Research Program. Stroke, 53, e88–e89. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.121.037554.
• Ronquillo, J. G., & Lester, W. T. (2022). Precision medicine landscape of genomic testing for patients with cancer in the National Institutes of Health All of Us database using informatics approaches. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, 6, e2100152. https://doi.org/10.1200/CCI.21.00152.
• Wu, P., Feng, Q., Kerchberger, V. E., Nelson, S. D., Chen, Q., Li, B., et al. (2022). Integrating gene expression and clinical data to identify drug repurposing candidates for hyperlipidemia and hypertension. Nature Communications, 13, 46. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27751-1.

All of Us News

• All of Us launched a usage, attitudes, and awareness survey to help gather information from our target researcher audiences. This information will help make the Research Hub a more robust and powerful resource that will work to recruit and retain researchers. We hope to better understand awareness and attitudes towards All of Us, motivations for seeking and using secondary research datasets, and barriers to access and how we can help address them. Click here to complete the survey.
• NIH is awarding $170 million over five years, pending the availability of funds, to clinics and centers across the country for a new study that will develop algorithms to predict individual responses to food and dietary routines. Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH), powered by the All of Us Research Program, will recruit a diverse pool of 10,000 All of Us participants to inform more personalized nutrition recommendations. “We’re delighted that All of Us has a role in advancing in-depth nutrition research and furthering precision nutrition by serving as a platform for this unique initiative,” said Josh Denny, M.D., CEO of All of Us. Learn more about NPH.
• In late December, All of Us announced the selection of Holly Garriock, Ph.D., as chief cohort development officer. In this role, Dr. Garriock oversees the expansive Division of Cohort Development, which includes health care provider organization enrollment, The Participant Center, and the program’s biobank resources. Read more about Dr. Garriock and her new role.
• NIH invites input from stakeholders on the framework for the NIH-wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Submit your comments and suggestions to help build and strengthen DEIA across all NIH activities and the biomedical research enterprise. Read the full plan and submit your comments by April 3, 2022.
• NIH is committed to building partnerships with American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. NIH invites input from stakeholders on draft supplemental information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing to promote responsible management and sharing of AI/AN participant data. Read the full plan and submit your comments by March 28, 2022.
• NIH is seeking information to enhance research progress on Asians’, Native Hawaiians’, and other Pacific Islanders’ health and well-being. This request for information hopes to help identify the gaps, needs, and opportunities and develop strategies and priorities of actionable recommendations for these communities. Learn more and share input by April 6, 2022.
• Are you an early-stage researcher ready to write a new or revised NIH-style proposal who’s interested in receiving coaching support? The University of Utah Grant Writing Coaching Research Study invites you to apply. Group coaching will take place from August to December 2022, and you must be targeting an NIH submission deadline of January to March 2023 or April to July 2023. Learn more and apply by March 24, 2022.

Upcoming Events

• All of Us Researchers Convention: From March 31 to April 1, 2022, NIH will host the All of Us Research Program Researchers Convention. This virtual event will focus on researchers at various educational and professional career stages who are using All of Us participant data across two separate events: the Minority Student Research Symposium and Science Day. Register today at this link!
• Advancing Engagement through Research: New Trends and Opportunities: The Data & Research Center (DRC) Outreach team will co-present on the All of Us Research Hub and Researcher Workbench at the Network of the National Library of Medicine’s upcoming virtual symposium: Advancing Engagement through Research: New Trends and Opportunities, with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health on Tuesday, March 29th. The symposium and presentation are open to all. Register today at this link!