Who We Are
We are a team of researchers, clinicians, and genetics experts who see the disparity in care between ethnic and racial groups when it comes to genomic medicine. In partnership with several academic and research institutions, we have developed the Texome Project to begin to address this issue.
What We Do
In the United States, a variety of genomic medicine initiatives have been developed to investigate rare and undiagnosed diseases. However, we observe that not all in society have access to these initiatives.
Underserved populations and ethnic minorities have not benefited from genomic medicine for a number of reasons. In light of this, we will use our experience in clinical research, whole exome sequencing (WES) technology, innovative bioinformatics analysis, and functional assays to find answers for minority and underserved patients. We will also provide genetic counseling and longitudinal follow-up to document and explore the impact of genomic medicine for underserved and minority populations.
What is Texome?
Our name comes from a combination of the words Texas and exome. These are significant because many of our patient population call Texas home and exome sequencing is the type of genetic analysis that we provide as a part of the study. The goal of the project is to make genetic services accessable to people who could benefit from them. We aim to find a diagnosis, better understand their illness, and offer possible options for medical management. The study consists of 5 visits (in-person or virtual) over a 2 year period to make sure the best genetic interpretation is attained. We receive funding from National Human Genome Research Institute (1R01HG011795-01).