The Center for Precision Medicine Research (CPMR) conducts basic and translational research to investigate role of genetics and gene-environment interactions that influence human health disorders. The vision of CPMR is to be innovative in genomic medicine and to add scientific insights that can be translated into improved patient care. The CPMR was formed in 2018 to combine the strengths of our former centers, the Center for Human Genetics and the Biomedical Informatics Research Center, and to create knowledge that enables precision medicine and the translation of our research findings to improve patient care. Our center has a strong history in genetics research, and it has been recognized for genotyping short-tandem repeat polymorphisms (microsatellites) across the human genome to create the Marshfield Human Genetic Linkage Maps. We have been part of the eMERGE (Electronic Medical Records and Genomics) research consortium since 2007. Now, CPMR (and MCHS) is one of the ten recipients of National Institute of Health’s prestigious All of Us Research grant. The CPMR is home to the Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), launched in 2002. The PMRP is a population-based research project that serves as a resource for genomics research. It consists of a biobank of clinical samples, collected from approximately 20,000 Central Wisconsin residents, linked to electronic health records. In addition to PMRP, CPMR scientists are involved in multiple research studies, including the discovery of genetic and immune biomarkers for human diseases, the Precision Medicine Initiative study, and the interaction of host genetics and the gut microbiome in human diseases.
The research laboratories in CPMR are equipped to conduct research in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, molecular biology and cell/tissue cultures based experiments. MiSeq and NextSeq1000 Illumina sequencers are available for sequencing small genomes, performing targeted sequencing of a panel of genes, metagenomics sequencing, bulk RNA sequencing (transcriptome profiling), single-cell RNA sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), and whole-exome sequencing of human genomes. A Luminex instrument is also available to perform multiplexed proteomic and immunoassays. In combination with in-house expertise in bioinformatics, CPMR’s laboratories support the effort of CMPR researchers to investigate disease mechanisms and pursue translational research.
CPMR scientists use genome-wide association studies, phenome-wide association studies, and other genetic epidemiology study designs to conduct research in pharmacogenomics, the genetics of complex diseases, the application of artificial intelligence to elucidate biological pathways in disease, host-microbial pathogen interactions, the role of the microbiome in health and disease, biomarker and drug target discovery, cancer biology, the role of non-coding RNA in disease, and predictive models of disease risk, prognosis, and response to therapy.
We seek to engage in collaborative research using multi-OMICS approaches, and interested researchers are encouraged to contact Dr. Sanjay Shukla, CPMR Director, for identifying collaborative opportunities with CPMR scientists.