Million Veteran Program (MVP)

Purpose: The Million Veteran Program (MVP) is a national, voluntary research study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research & Development. It is collaboration between the VA and veterans, whose goal is to illuminate potential links between genetic heterogeneity and disease. This is an important step in our scientific understanding about how genetic, as well as epigenetic makeup impinges upon disease characteristics and drug efficacy. Methods: Veterans who are treated in Veteran Affairs are eligible to participate. Those who provide consent are contacted by one of the researcher in the group. Veteran fills the survey related to their health and consent to give a blood sample. Central MVP biorepository saves the sample. Each sample is coded and so is their corresponding health information. Neither the person in the lab nor in the analysis knows the identity of the veteran. The key to the code is known to only a few personnel who are highly trained in research ethics thus safeguarding the privacy of the veterans. Results: Though the collection of data is ongoing, based on the analysis done so far, the correlation found between genetic and phenotypic pattern is helping to improve current treatment for certain cancers. Strong links that will very likely be found in this study, due to the large number of participating veterans (1 million), will be used to generate testable hypotheses for future study, such as if a particular gene polymorphism or epigenetic mark leads to a particular disease trait. This will enhance our understanding about how to better prevent and treat various diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusions: Our site has contributed actively in the recruitment of veterans for this study by enrolling approximately 7000 veterans till now. With the help of research program, at our institution, we continue to work towards achieving our target. All over US, more than 450,000 patients have been enrolled in MVP. The research on the 400,000 samples has helped us discover a couple of useful drugs for cancer and schizophrenia. MVP aims to establish the largest of its kind database in the United States.