Pitt Pediatrics congratulates Jerry Vockley, MD, PhD, FACMG, and his collaborative team on the multi-center GEMINI study, for earning recognition from the Clinical Research Forum as one of their 2024 Top Ten Clinical Research Award winning projects! Vockley is the Director of the Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, as well as the Cleveland Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research and the Director of the Center for Rare Disease Therapy.
Other lead collaborators on this project include Jonathon M. Davis, MD (Tufts University School of Medicine), Bruce Gelb, MD, (Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai), and Stephen Kingsmore, MD, DSc (Rady Children’s Hospital - San Diego).
The Genomic Medicine for Ill Neonates and Infants (GEMINI) study is designed to investigate the effectiveness and cost of two different genetic testing methods on babies and infants suspected to have genetic disorders. Founded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this multicenter trial was conducted at six US hospitals from June 2019 to November 2021. Over the course of the study, the research team aimed to compare the effectiveness of rapid whole genomic sequencing (rWGS) against a targeted genomic sequencing panel, NewbornDx, among high-risk infants.
You can read more about the central design of the study and basic findings at UPMC Physician Resources here. The original study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July of 2023, titled, “Rapid Whole-Genomic Sequencing and a Targeted Neonatal Gene Panel in Infants With a Suspected Genetic Disorder.”
The Clinical Research Forum is a national organization aimed at catalyzing and sustaining an environment in which clinical and translational research and researchers will thrive and advance human health and well-being for all. To be selected among the Top Ten Clinical Research Awards represents an enormous accomplishment against a highly competitive group of nominated research projects.
Join us in congratulating Vockley and the rest of the GEMINI study collaborators on this wonderful achievement.
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