The National Institutes of Health (NIH) opened national enrollment today, May 6^th, for the All of Us research program. Initially branded as the “Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program,” All of Us is the largest health and medical research program on precision medicine, aiming to enroll 1 million or more diverse volunteers. Any adult age 18 or older may enroll.

The scope and depth of the program is ambitious. By securing health information from a large and diverse number of patients, the program addresses an accepted shortcoming of personalized medicine research to date, that is – the limited data set from which researchers can source. To this point, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar stated that “NIH’s unprecedented effort will lay the scientific foundation for a new era of personalized, highly effective health care. We look forward to working with people of all backgrounds to take this major step forward for our nations health.” See NIH announces national enrollment date for All of US Research Program to advance precision medicine.

Program Scope

Using online surveys and electronic health records throughout the course of the program, participants are asked to share health and lifestyle information. Some participants may be asked to visit a local health center to provide physical measurements (such as height and weight) and to provide clinical samples such as blood and urine.

Expanded Scope Planned

The NIH also noted that in the future, some participants may be asked to share data through wearable devices and/or enroll in follow-up research studies, including clinical trials. In addition, in the future children will be invited to enroll. Genetic data may also be requested at a future date.

To learn more about the program and how to join, visit this link.