Genomics

Alan R. Shuldiner, MD, Director, Program in Genetics and Genomic Medicine

Just as space travel changed the way people look at the universe, so genomics—the study of an organism’s genes and how they function together in health and disease—promises to revolutionize the way disease is diagnosed, treated and prevented. At the University of Maryland School of Medicine, genomics is transforming the way research is conducted, patients are treated and medicine is taught.

When scientists worldwide completed the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, the Era of the Genome began. The HGP decoded the exact sequence of three billion DNA letters responsible for everything that makes each of us uniquely human, from the color of our eyes, to whether we might be susceptible to heart disease at age 50, to how our bodies respond to medication.

“If we know the 20 or 50 or so genes that increase susceptibility to diabetes, we’ll be able to perform a blood test at a pediatrician’s office and diagnose people who are at increased risk of adult-onset diabetes—50 years before they’d ever get it,” Alan Shuldiner, MD, Alan R. Shuldiner, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Program in Genetics and Genomic Medicine.

Priority Funding Objectives and Naming Opportunities: Genomics Name a Center for Genomics and Genetic Medicine: $10 million Name the Program in Genomics and Genetic Medicine: $5 million Third Century Investigators: $500,000  Third Century Research Funds: $500,000  1807 Funds for Discovery $50,000

The Program in Genetics and Genomic Medicine is an inter-departmental program that emphasizes a multidisciplinary team approach to research training and discovery. Faculty have expertise across a wide range of disciplines including clinical investigation, molecular genetics, cytogenetics, cancer genetics, biochemical genetics, functional genomics, molecular and cell biology, genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics, and bioinformatics.

Now investigators at the School of Medicine and elsewhere have started the next phase of discovery, which is even more ambitious than the HGP itself. It’s like building a car from scratch: imagine three billion parts, each clearly numbered, spread out on the garage floor. The challenge is to determine the purpose of the parts, how they work together, and if environmental conditions affect their functioning. As investigators learn more about each part—each piece of DNA—they will be better able to find ways to repair the mutations that cause disease and to provide the preventive care that can keep disease from appearing.

Scientists the world over are working on this phase of genomics and genetics study, but the University of Maryland School of Medicine is well positioned to be on the forefront of the revolution.

The School of Medicine already has a General Clinical Research Center, opened in 2002, which houses a genomics core facility with the technology and lab capabilities to evaluate gene expression and do rapid DNA sequencing. In 2003, we completed work on Health Sciences Facility II, with state-of-the-art laboratories and one of the world’s most sophisticated superconducting magnets, which allows researchers to see high-resolution, atomic-level pictures of proteins.

In addition to powerful equipment and facilities, the study of genomics requires people with specialized knowledge—biostatisticians, bioinformatics specialists, genetic epidemiologists, statistical geneticists and more—able to handle deftly the enormous amounts of data that are an integral part of genomics research. The School of Medicine has been recruiting and retaining these kinds of experts for years.

With advanced infrastructure and creative minds already in place, School of Medicine researchers have been leaders in using genomic studies to identify genes associated with everything from diabetes to coronary artery disease.

But so much more remains to be discovered. If we can establish the School of Medicine as a world-class Center for Genomics and Genetics—expanding our efforts by enlarging our research capabilities and recruiting additional faculty—we can more quickly
uncover the clues that will help the world better understand how to maintain good health and prevent disease. At the same time, we will be able to expose medical students, residents and fellows to the field of genomics—which may soon become the foundation of all medical knowledge.