The Emory /Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute is combining an interdisciplinary research core with a clinical testing ground for new predictive biomarkers of health, disease risk and prognosis aimed at keeping people healthy.
The research core links the expertise of the systems biology program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and Emory programs in anthropology, public health and human genetics. It also relies on the expertise of ethicists, behaviorists, health economists and other disciplines from across the universities.
Resources
Database
As the scientific arm of the Predictive Health Institute, two core CHDWB goals have been to describe health in social, cultural and biological terms, and to use these tools to understand and predict deviations from health and overall health prognosis. The CHDWB serves as a practical test of the concept of health-focused care, as well as an academic resource and a clinical-translational laboratory with its innovative delivery model and longitudinal database and tissue repository. A variety of metrics are used in this process, including a battery of questionnaires, assessments and laboratory tests that are either disease specific (e.g. cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and atherosclerosis) or follow common pathways such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune status. Examples of data elements collected from participants each year are personal and family health history, occupational history and exposures, tobacco and alcohol use, traditional medical and complementary medication use, detailed food intake, measures of stress, anxiety, depression, spirituality, validated metrics of physical functioning, social support, sleepiness and sleep quality. Participants also undergo traditional medical testing including treadmill testing, body composition and bone density testing, measures of cardiovascular function and risk, and traditional laboratory testing such as blood chemistry and hormone profiles. Innovative and cutting edge laboratory testing is also performed for regenerative cell potential, oxidative stress and inflammation, genetic and genomic analyses and large-scale metabolomics.
Access to the Predictive Health research database and associated biological samples is gained by application to the research access and data subcommittee. Completion of the Data Request form online is required for consideration. You can preview the data request form here. When you are ready to submit a request, please login to REDCap using this link http://j.mp/CHDWB_request and complete the data form online. Indicate on the form by checking the appropriate boxes which sets of data you are requesting. Submit the completed form accompanied by your research protocol or detailed description of intended use of the data. The request will be reviewed by the Predictive Health data review committee.
Samples
As part of the prospective longitudinal CHDWB cohort study, participants have the following biological specimens collected each year.• Plasma (citrate)
• Plasma (heparin)
• Plasma (EDTA)
• Serum
• Whole blood RNA (Tempus tubes)
• Buffy coat
• Urine (unpreserved)
• Urine (preserved with 0.01% BHT)
In addition to the samples above and the clinical phenotypic information described elsewhere, CHDWB participants have most often undergone whole genome genotyping and microarray analysis of peripheral blood gene expression. Each of these samples and data elements are available upon request.