Pittsburgh Launches National Research Program

November 15th, 2017

A national precision medicine study that aims to enroll more than one million people throughout the country and put an end to cookie-cutter healthcare is placing Pittsburghers at the forefront of medical research. As the first site in the country to launch, the Pittsburgh-based All of Us Pennsylvania Research Program—a partner of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program—is an integral part of a long-term study that seeks to speed up medical breakthroughs and develop individualized treatment and prevention strategies.

Due to variations in lifestyle, environment, and biology, no two people are exactly the same. However, most medical treatments have been designed using a “one size fits all” or cookie-cutter approach. The result of this approach is that treatments are very successful for some people, but not for others. The idea of precision medicine is to improve health by understanding individual differences and customizing healthcare.

Mylynda Massart, MD, PhD, assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and medical director of the UPMC Matilda H Theiss Health Center, explains why a large and diverse group of participants is vital for expanding the role of precision medicine. “In the past, research has been done on improving people’s health based on limited patient populations. We would take the best evidence from the research, apply it to our patients, and hope that it would work for them. But we know that strategy doesn’t work overall. For example, a lot of research on cholesterol medication has been done on middle-aged white men. We wouldn’t know if that medication would have the same effect on, say, African American women or Latino men. That has been a flaw.”

Interested in Precision Medicine study opportunities? Visit Pitt+Me.