Health system dives into genomics

AdventHealth will study the gene that causes high cholesterol

AdventHealth launched a genomics program on Wednesday that requires a lot of spit.

The WholeMe project is the health system’s first major venture into genomics, which will sequence and analyze the DNA gathered in a spit tube of 10,000 people. The aim is to determine whether they have a gene variation linked to familial hypercholesterolemia — a common life threatening condition that causes high cholesterol. It will also identify traits such as lactose tolerance and caffeine metabolism.

Daryl Tol, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, said there’s still guesswork involved in the practice of medicine.

“Genetics helps us get past that,” Tol said. “We can’t even contemplate the things we’ll continue to learn and how it will change medical treatment and studies like this are right at the heart of helping us to do that.”

AdventHealth has partnered with the California-based genomics company Helix for the project.

Registration is now open and free to participants who sign up at wholemeflorida.com. All Florida residents are welcome to join but must be able to visit one of several enrollment sites in Orlando.

Participants will download an app that will send information about their genetic analysis. Their personal and health information will be protected with the same level of security practices that financial institutions use. Patient data would only be shared with consent.

Anyone identified with FH will receive a free blood test to confirm the results, a session with a genetic counselor and will be connected with an AdventHealth cardiologist to take precautionary measures.

If it turns out a participant doesn’t have the gene variation that causes FH, they can still communicate with a care navigator and ask questions.

For a fee, Helix will do an additional DNA analysis outside of the parameters of the study if a participant requests it. Everyone who enrolls will have access to their

ancestry profile.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings was on hand for the ceremony and declared August as “Genomics Research Month.”

The study brings “innovation and partnerships together to empower our residents with information that can have a meaningful impact on their lives,” Demings said.

Researchers will check in with participants six months after they receive their DNA results and hope to gain insight on how knowing their genomic information affects their lifestyle and healthcare decisions.

“We believe that medicine that focuses on the whole person is superior healthcare,” Tol said. “Nothing is more personal than your DNA.”