Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/18/2019 -- Intermountain Precision Genomics is working to boost research, innovation, and advancement in genomics research by awarding up to $200,000 for biomedical research projects that strive to help people live the healthiest lives possible.

The awards, called Genomic Innovation Grants, provide opportunity for scientific collaboration and offer funding toward Intermountain Precision Genomics research services – including next-generation sequencing, sample procurement, bioinformatic analysis and more.

"Translational research plays an important role in Intermountain Healthcare's mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible," said David Jones, senior scientific program director for Intermountain Precision Genomics. "Genomic Innovation Grants combine our translational research services with innovative research ideas to champion new discovery and further precision medicine and its clinical application."

The grants will support biomedical research proposals that have potential for direct clinical application. Investigators with such proposals are encouraged to apply.

Past recipients include Vivid Genomics, Immortagen, and Huntsman Cancer Institute. Studies by those organizations include research aimed at identifying genetic predictors of Alzheimer's, developing an artificial-intelligence algorithm that predicts cell response to cancer therapeutics, discovering breast cancer susceptibility variants, and exploring genetic epidemiology of ovarian cancers in high-risk pedigrees.

It's anticipated that project awards will result in one or more collaborative peer-reviewed articles in conjunction with Intermountain and provide pilot data for larger partnered endeavors.

"The opportunity for collaboration through these grants has the potential to elevate the best research ideas and bring innovative proposals to life," said Helaman Escobar, senior director of translational science at Intermountain Precision Genomics. "Our biorepository of more than 4.5 million retrospective DNA samples, clinical outcomes data, and customizable patient cohorts alone is a huge asset to any study."

Interested researchers or groups should submit their research proposals by November 15.

Applications will be evaluated by a panel of scientists from different biomedical disciplines and should be written for this audience. Projects will be evaluated on the likelihood of providing scientific impact and influence on the research field involved using the National Institutes of Health review criteria. To apply, visit intermountainhealthcare.org/genomicsgrants.

About Intermountain Precision Genomics
Intermountain Precision Genomics is a service of Intermountain Healthcare. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as leader in clinical improvement and transforming healthcare through high quality and sustainable costs. For more information about Intermountain Precision Genomics, please visit: intermountainhealthcare.org/genomics.

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