(Bethesda, MD, Tuesday, December 13, 2022) – Our DNA can tell us a lot about our health. One research program is working to make that information accessible to more people. The All of Us Research Program from the National Institutes of Health announced that it has begun returning health-related DNA results to thousands of research participants.

Dr. Anastasia Wise, who oversees the program’s return of health-related DNA results, says that sharing personalized information with research participants is key to returning value to participants.

SOUNDBITE #1:

ALL OF US SEES RESEARCH AS A TWO-WAY STREET BETWEEN RESEARCHERS AND PARTICIPANTS. IN ADDITION TO SHARING DATA, PARTICIPANTS GET THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER IMPORTANT HEALTH-RELATED DNA INFORMATION ABOUT THEMSELVES.

All of Us is working to enroll at least 1 million people in the program to drive scientific discovery and include more people from communities that have been left out of medical research in the past. The aim is to help make sure new scientific discoveries benefit all of us. About 80% of All of Us participants represent historically underrepresented communities and nearly 50% identify with a racial or ethnic minority group.

SOUNDBITE #2:

KNOWLEDGE IS POWERFUL. UNDERSTANDING OUR POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS AND LEARNING HOW OUR D-N-A AFFECTS HOW CERTAIN MEDICINES WORK FOR US– INCLUDING DRUGS LIKE THOSE USED TO TREAT DIABETES OR DEPRESSION – CAN INFORM THE STEPS WE TAKE TO NAVIGATE OUR HEALTH.

Learn more about the research program by visiting JoinAllofUs.org/DNA.