The foundational programs of the UCLA Institute for Precision Health are located directly on campus, all within walking distance and include:
UCLA ATLAS Program aims to create a genetic map of UCLA patients, enabling us to find new risk factors for diseases and choose the best treatments for each patient. ATLAS encompasses one of the most powerful tools in the discovery of disease: a large-scale collection of diverse patient blood, saliva, and tissue samples—this is the treasure of the UCLA precision health biobank. Researchers will be able to analyze data both within and across a broader population to reveal new insights.
California Center for Rare Diseases at UCLA brings together leading expertise in genetic and genomic medicine to provide greater insight into undiagnosed diseases affecting millions of people globally. Although rare diseases are uncommon, they represent close to 10 percent of our population and include rare forms of common diseases such as Alzheimer’s, autism, heart disease and cancer. The Center is also building models to determine whether someone is at risk for diseases like breast cancer, depression, or diabetes. Doctors can empower patients with this knowledge much earlier, recommending behavioral changes that may help prevent the illness from materializing.
Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the first of its kind in the west and a cornerstone of the new California Center for Rare Diseases at UCLA. The center is a collaboration among UCLA scientists, clinicians, and researchers who realized the need for an integrated multidisciplinary center to care for children and young adults suffering from muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic disease that delivers a progressive loss of muscle movement and a life expectancy of 25 years. The center’s efforts span education and outreach, leading-edge research, drug discovery, clinical trials and care. Scientists at UCLA developed Exondys 51, the first FDA-approved therapeutic drug for the disease.
UCLA Center for SMART Health (Systematic, Measurable, Actionable, Resilient and Technology-driven) explores new technologies that provide better information to doctors, resulting in better treatment for patients. What if a mobile device that monitors your blood pressure could send your readings directly to your doctor, even before a visit? Or if your doctor’s assessment of your heart wasn’t just based on 30 seconds with a stethoscope during an office visit, but on three months of data from your wearable wristband? UCLA scientists and engineers evaluate mobile devices, wearables (e.g., smart watches), new screening technologies, and robotics to empower precision health.
Precision Diagnostics at UCLA is a fully integrated clinical service, including genomics and other specialized testing that facilitates lifesaving personalized medicine treatments directly to patients—all within the same hospital. The revolutionary science behind genomic testing isolates and provides care for the major health problems of our time including: cancer, depression, cardiovascular, brain diseases, and many more.
