NIH launches initiatives for genetic diseases

The National Institutes of Health rolled out a pair of initiatives on Feb. 8 to determine the genetic and environmental underpinnings of common diseases. The Genes & Environment Initiative (GEI) and the Genetics Association Information Network (GAIN) are multiyear efforts that will focus on genetic variations known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms. GEI is planned to begin in 2007 with a requested funding level of $68 million. The initiative will combine genotyping with environmental toxicology studies to elucidate the causes of as many as a dozen common diseases that will be determined later by peer review. A public-private partnership, GAIN brings together NIH, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Pfizer, and Affymetrix to accelerate genetic association studies. Pfizer has donated $5 million to set up a management structure and $15 million worth of laboratory studies to determine the genetic contributions to five common diseases. Affymetrix will contribute analytical resources worth an estimated $6 million.