STREAMLINING UTAH'S POPULATION DATABASE
Rick Mullin · Chemical & Engineering News · 2005
THIS MONTH MARKS THE 3OTH ANNIversary of the Utah Population Database (UPDB), an extensive compilation of genetic, epidemiological, demographic, and public health statistics on Utah families compiled by the University of Utah. Seeded with genealogical records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, this repository has allowed researchers at the university and at medical institutions around the world to profile a uniquely homogenous population that remains largely descended from the Mormon families that settled in the region 150 years ago. With its insight into families with higher than normal incidences of cancer or other diseases, the database is regarded as a gold mine for genetics and genomics researchers. Since 2002, drug and biopharmaceutical firms have been culling UPDB in partnership with LineaGen Research, a nonprofit corporation spun off that year from the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute, which houses the database. LineaGen, which facilitates access to UPDB by ...