Tool to help find links between genes and diseases

In the last 15 years, scientists have linked many gene changes with specific diseases. We now have better ways to treat or prevent disease. We also know that gene changes can affect drug response, or how the body processes drugs. This means more people are getting the best drug for their unique needs. This is all good news. But, we do not always know exactly how the gene changes work. We just know there is a link. There is a lot more information in genes that we do not know yet. A group of scientists at Vanderbilt helped to create a new tool to aid with this. The name of the tool is PrediXcan. The tool tests how gene changes affect disease or drug response. The scientists will apply their tool to BioVU. Some samples in BioVU already have genetic information. They will start with these samples. They will create a database with their results. All researchers at Vanderbilt will be able to use this new database. The researchers will be able to see links between genes and diseases. They will be able to search by gene or by disease. As we add data from more BioVU samples, the scientist will rerun the tool. They will add the new sample data to their database. With more and more data, the more sure we are that we will find links that matter. The goal is to find known and new genes linked to disease or drug response. It is also to help researchers find out how the gene changes work.