Center for Applied Genomics

Welcome to the Center for Applied Genomics

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has developed a large-scale effort to identify the genes responsible for common childhood diseases. The Center for Applied Genomics aims to improve understanding of the genetic causes of the most prevalent diseases of childhood, including ADHD, asthma, allergies, obesity, diabetes and cancer — all of which are thought be caused by the complex interactions of multiple genes within our bodies.

Our goals

Our goals for the Center of Applied Genomics are to generate new diagnostic tests for childhood diseases, and to use this diagnostic knowledge to guide physicians to the most appropriate therapies. In addition, we plan to form strategic partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies to develop novel therapeutics.

Finding genes that cause disease

To accomplish this, we are asking patients throughout our network to contribute blood samples so that we may create a database of children's DNA and search for links to particular diseases. Participation in this study is voluntary; you do not have to take part in order to receive care at Children's Hospital. For those who agree to participate, an information management system keeps all patient information confidential. We also ask parents to contribute blood samples to further strengthen our research.

As we build our database, we use a sophisticated DNA scanner for analysis. Our technology allows us to:

Finding the best treatments

Our goal is to collect and analyze blood samples from more than 100,000 children over the next three years. Ultimately, we hope that the knowledge gained from this study will help us to develop better ways to diagnose diseases and to develop new and better medicines to treat disease in the future.

Learn more

We hope that our patients will use this Web site to answer frequently asked questions about our study, meet our team and contact us for more information.

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