"Empowering disease prevention through
population genomic research"

Mission
The mission of the EURAC Institute of Genetic Medicine is to lead cutting-edge, innovative, interdisciplinary molecular and genetic research that propels the understanding, diagnosis and eventual treatment of human diseases in the local community. The use of population-based etiologic research with a focus on early preclinical disease detection will, we hope, empower both individuals and healthcare professionals to focus more on disease prevention in addition to better treatment.

 "Internationally competitive research with long-
term local impact and benefits"

Vision
We envision the EURAC Institute of Genetic Medicine as a biomedical center of excellence and the focal point for genetics and genomics research relevant to the whole South Tyrol region. Building on a successful population genetics project conducted from 2001 to 2003 (GenNova), the Institute is now following a cycle of genomics research that begins and ends with the population. Drawing on volunteers from the population we aim to discover genetic causes and susceptibility to disease, move this information into more detailed molecular medicine studies aimed at a greater understanding of the disease process, translate this knowledge into clinically relevant information and finally develop means for an active dialogue with the population to promote better healthcare for current and future generations. It is crucial that our experiments be guided by the genotype-phenotype relationships displayed in the human population so that research that begins with the population will eventually come full circle to empower current and future generations to lead healthier lives, and benefit from better diagnostics and treatments.

"Understanding the causes of disease to develop
preclinical diagnosis and better treatments"

Overview
In the first phase of activity, we have gathered medical histories, comprehensive genealogies spanning 15 generations, and quantitative trait parameters from serum biomarkers from approximately 1400 participants (MICROS-Study) residing in isolated Alpine valleys . All individuals in the study have been genotyped with a framework of over 1000 microsatellite and 318,000 SNP markers. A second phase to increase several fold the numbers of participants is currently at the planning and early implementation stage. Benefiting from the increased power for genetic studies inherent in genetically homogenous, isolated populations, this resource is being used to drive several population genetic and genomics research projects that fall into several broad areas that include:
• Neuro- and Cardio-genomics
• Quantitative Traits (QTLs) individually and combined with qualitative traits
• Bioinformatic tools for data visualization and infrastructure development
• Public Health Genomics

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CHRONOLOGY

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VISITING PROFESSORS