The Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy kicked off the new year with the formation of the Center for Genomic Medicine, the critical link connecting scientific research with practical health care models, officials said.
Under this updated configuration, the IGSP will now incorporate a fifth interdisciplinary center under its umbrella, which also includes the Center for Genome Technology; the Center for Genome Ethics, Law and Policy; the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology; and the Center for Models of Human Disease.
IGSP Director Huntington Willard said he believes Duke is uniquely positioned to make significant advances in genomic medicine because of the combination of Duke University Health System's commitment to personalized health, and the University's strength in clinical and health policy research.
According to an internal document Willard wrote, the new Center will focus on developing and implementing models for delivering genomic health care, keeping in mind Duke's system-wide emphasis on personalized medicine.
"I believe this new center will position the IGSP as a leader in the emerging field of genomic medicine... [and] will play a key role in crafting models for the future of medical care in this country," Willard said.
Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of general internal medicine who teaches classes at the Fuqua School of Business addressing the impact of genetics on the practice of medicine, said he hopes to see the CGM begin to probe the daunting research agenda of personalized health care.
"Will genomic medicine change the practice of medicine tomorrow, or in 20 years? While there is some evidence suggesting a rapid transition, it'll probably take much more time," Schulman said. "Going from the gene to patient care is a fairly significant challenge. We're trying really hard at Duke to move toward how to deliver patient care, but this concept of personalized health care is just a research agenda right now, which runs the gamut from basic science questions to very significant management and infrastructure challenges."
Willard agreed with Schulman's sentiments, noting that a genomics-based health care model is fundamentally different from the current model and raises a number of cross-disciplinary issues which have yet to be addressed. In tackling these issues, the CGM plans to bring health policy and economic experts together with clinicians and physician-scientists in order to evaluate the possibility of a genomic medicine health care model, Willard wrote in another internal memo.
"The Center, much like all the others, really operates on two levels," Willard said. "On one, there will be the main focus on genomic medicine. But it will also be important to interact broadly across the campus--to tie together pieces which may already exist here at Duke and pull them together into a group."
Director of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center Dr. Kim Lyerly, who often works in close collaboration with the IGSP, sees the formation of the CGM as a great opportunity for the University.
"There are no genomic medicine centers anywhere as of right now," he said. "This will bring Duke to the forefront of medicine."
Lyerly, who is co-developing a cancer genomics program with CGT Director Joe Nevins, believes that CGM's interdisciplinary approach is important.
"I think there is a change in the way we do science in that we are more likely to develop teams now, more than at any other time," Lyerly said. "The idea that we're creating teams to address the fundamental issues in medicine is an enormous step in the right direction."
The IGSP has already launched an aggressive national search for a director of the CGM. Willard said he hopes to lure a practicing physician and a national leader who will be committed to see the IGSP's visions come to fruition.
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