
Boston Children’s Hospital has embarked on a strategic initiative to accelerate and expand its research genomics gateway, with plans to sequence the DNA of 3,000 patients with epilepsy or inflammatory bowel disease and their family members. Patients will have access to enroll in this pilot study if their condition is of likely genetic origin but lack a diagnosis after initial clinical genetic testing.
Sequencing will cover the entire exome, containing all of a person’s protein-coding genes. The Epilepsy and IBD were chosen for the pilot because Ann Poduri, MD, MPH and Scott Snapper, MD, PhD, have already made huge inroads into the genetics of these respective disorders. Both have built large, well characterized patient databases for research purposes, have disease-specific genetic expertise and have begun using their findings to inform their patients’ care. …