Central Biorepository Spotlight: Medical Genomics

Michigan Genomics Initiative (MGI)

The Michigan Genomics Initiative (MGI) is a component of Precision Health at the University of Michigan and has four active studies in the Central Biorepository, a unit of the UMMS Office of Research that facilitates discovery and improves healthcare outcomes by providing high-quality, highly annotated biospecimens donated for basic, clinical, and translational research.

The unit receives biospecimens and data from U-M contributors and collaborators across a spectrum of medical research. These samples, annotated with clinical and research data, are accessible to members of the U-M research enterprise.

View MGI policies below:

• Precision Health at the University of Michigan Policy on Access to Genomic, Health, and Summary Data, Biospecimens, and Re-contact of Research Participants Enrolled in the Michigan Genomics Initiative
• Michigan Genomics Initiative Acknowledgement and Authorship Policy

Types of Biospecimens

Michigan Genomics Initiative is the DNA connection arm that allows genomic information to be tied to phenotype information within the Electronic Health Record.

Population

86,000+ total participants and counting! Currently enrolling men and women from:

• Surgery
• Depression Center
• Pediatrics
• Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes Clinic
• MIPACT, a study of wearable technology and health

Different types of health data are integrated to create a complete picture of
each participant’s health, disease, exposures, treatments, and outcomes:

• Electronic Health Records
  • Clinical diagnoses to understand each participant’s conditions
  • Laboratory values
• Biospecimens
  • Genotype ascertainment using Illumina chip technology
  • Imputed genotypes for more comprehensive coverage
• Patient-Completed Questionnaires

Access

The Central Biorepository enables access to thousands of MGI biospecimens from Michigan Medicine patients and offers secure linkage to laboratory and clinical data offered by the Data Office.

Get started:

• Search the MGI cohort on the self-serve tool, DataDirect.
• Complete and submit a CBR Use Proposal Form available on research.medicine.umich.edu/biorepository and send to CBR.requests@umich.edu.
• With IRB and oversight committee approval, datasets can be downloaded

"The CBR has allowed us to create a genomics resource that not only benefits my research, but is also a resource that can be used by researchers throughout the university."- Chad Brummett, M.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of Anesthesia Clinical Research, Director of Division of Pain Research, MGI Anesthesiology Effort

Precision Health and MGI

Established to create an institutional repository of DNA and genetic data that could be linked with medical phenotype and Electronic Health Record (EHR) information in the Research Data Warehouse, MGI, a component of U-M Precision Health, comprises a broad portfolio of data from tens of thousands of individuals, providing valuable information for current and future medical research. Using a modern, opt-in, patient-centric, informed-consent model, participants are enrolled in MGI to contribute biospecimens for genotyping, EHR data for clinical information, patient-reported questionnaires for a variety of medical conditions, and linkages to local and national data sources. MGI then tracks patient classification of
diseases, functioning, and disability with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) standard. It can be queried to support many types of medical research.

Learn more

View the full study sheet