The Department of Veterans Affairs has collected genetic information from about 23,000 veterans at 40 health care facilities for a database aimed at discovering new ways of predicting, preventing and treating illness, McClatchy/Sacramento Bee reports.
An additional 30,000 veterans have agreed to participate in the program, which aims eventually to collect data from one million veterans (McClatchy News/Sacramento Bee, 2/12).
Details of Program
Launched in May 2011, the Million Veteran Program consolidates into a single database information on:
- Genes;
- Health;
- Lifestyle; and
- Military Service (iHealthBeat, 5/6/11).
The program seeks to enroll one million veterans and study their genetic material, electronic health records and lifestyle and military service histories.
VA researchers said the combination of different types of data will allow them to identify which genes are associated with certain medical issues.
For example, researchers may analyze which genes predisposed individuals to post-traumatic stress disorder and assess potential ways to avoid the illness.
Privacy Concerns
VA officials said a key component of enrolling volunteers is to assure them that their medical records and genetic material will be de-identified and only accessible to researchers involved in the program.
According to the officials, some participating veterans have expressed concerns about how their information will be used.
However, the officials noted that participants can withdraw from the program at any time (McClatchy/Sacramento Bee, 2/12).