Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente research division are about to embark on one of the largest research projects in the United States.
The health insurer which is based in Oakland, California, is the largest not-for-profit managed care organization in the United States with 8.5 million health plan members, 148,884 employees, 12,879 physicians, 37 medical centers, 400 medical offices, and $31.1 billion in annual revenue.
The Kaiser Permanente research project aims to examine the genetic and environmental factors that influence common diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's disease, asthma and many others.
The researchers hope to discover which genes and environmental factors are linked to specific diseases and how they influence the risk of getting a disease or affect its severity or outcome.
The study will be the first in the United States since the Framingham Heart Study began in 1948 involving 5,000 men and women; data from that project has helped determine the risk factors and best treatments for heart disease ever since.
The Research Program will also include studies of genetic and non-genetic factors that affect how people respond to specific medications, including the occurrence of side effects.
According to the researchers almost all common diseases and health conditions are linked both to genetic and environmental factors, and understanding the critical interaction between genes and the environment on health will have an important impact on the way health and disease are viewed in the future.
The researchers believe the study could help to identify not only what diseases a person may be at risk for, but also how to reduce that risk, or how best to treat the disease.
As member participation is critical to the success of the study, Kaiser Permanente is inviting members to participate in a survey that will be the first step in building the research program.