Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center received a $437,500 Project Grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) under the Human Genome Research program (CFDA 93.172), awarded April 22, 2026, with completion scheduled for March 31, 2028. The grant supports research titled "Expanding Our Understanding of Polygenic Disease Comorbidity Structure: PRSxPheWAS," which systematically evaluates the association between polygenic risk scores (PRS) and comorbidity patterns across multiple large biobanks and diverse populations. The project utilizes phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) methodology to assess how genetic risk scores for common complex diseases—including diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease—correlate with clinical disease outcomes recorded through electronic medical records.

The research deliverables include comprehensive PheWAS analyses of over 5,000 published polygenic risk scores from the PGS Catalog, conducted across multiple biobanks (All of Us, EMERGE, BioVU, and UK Biobank) with standardized adjustments for demographic and healthcare utilization variables. Aim 1 involves meta-analysis of results from these biobanks using ANVIL, while Aim 2 extends analyses stratified by electronic medical record-reported sex to identify potential sex-specific differences in disease comorbidity patterns. These systematic evaluations are designed to enhance understanding of the genetic architecture underlying common diseases and their associated comorbidities, ultimately supporting improved precision medicine approaches.