DGMC to partner with Duke for research

  • Published
  • By 60th Medical Group Clinical Investigations Facility
  • 60th Medical Group Clinical Investigations Facility
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Duke medicine and its Center for Personalized and Precision Medicine have won research funding from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research for efforts to explore the use of personalized treatment and prevention strategies in the fight against diabetes and heart disease, two of the most widespread and chronic illnesses facing our society today.

With $3.2 million in Air Force funding, Duke teams will conduct the research in primary care clinics at David Grant USAF Medical Center and the McClellan Veteran Affairs/Department of Defense clinic in California.

"The forward thinking of the Air Force in advancing personalized medicine in the care of our military personnel and their families is what drives us to partner with them," said Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg, executive director of Duke Medicine's Center for Personalized and Precision Medicine and of genomic medicine at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. "This Air Force program gives our strategy, focused on implementation and outcomes research, a significant boost."

One study, co-led by Dr. Allison Vorderstrasse, Duke University School of Nursing, and Dr. Ruth Wolever, Duke Integrative Medicine, will ask whether knowledge of genetic risks for Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease together with health coaching will help active duty Air Force personnel and their families make changes in diet and exercise that are beneficial in reducing their risk.

The second study, led by Dr. Deepak Voora, Duke School of Medicine, will explore whether the use of pharmacogenetic testing for statins in treating high cholesterol results in fewer side effects and better adherence to the drug. Both studies focus on personalized approaches to medicine with each patient's genetic information informing treatment and approach to managing these chronic illnesses.

"Many people want to change habits to lower their risk of diseases like diabetes and heart disease, but they aren't always successful with a one-size-fits-all approach," Vorderstrasse said. "We want to see if people will make real changes in their health habits when they know about their own risk, both genetic and standard risk factors, and have one-on-one assistance in implementing those changes in health coaching."

Wolever said health coaching combined with genetic testing could prove to be an effective combination.

"Health coaching is a novel approach based on the latest science on intrinsic motivation and behavior change," Wolever said. "Rather than educating clients, coaches support clients in developing sustainable changes in health behavior through a process of inquiry and personal discovery."

The applied or translational use of personal genetic information is moving out of the realm of textbooks and into reality, said Maj. (Dr.) Carlos Maldonado, a co-investigator on both studies from Travis.

"This study is not just about knowing about it, but making intelligent, practical use of this information to advance operational medicine," Maldonado said.

Drs. Vorderstrasse, Wolever and Voora are all members of the Duke Center for Personalized and Precision Medicine.

For more information call the Clinical Investigation Facility at DGMC at 423-7400.