The Tools for DNA Diagnostics program, which is part of the Advanced Technology Program, aims to accelerate the HGP payoff by supporting development of low-cost DNA sequencing and recognition tools and techniques that would strengthen and help create commercial opportunities in diagnostic and therapeutic arenas. Meeting these goals will require the synergy of engineers, physicists, chemists, mathematicians, computer scientists, instrument designers, molecular biologists, and physicians. In the longer term, improved abilities to sequence and analyze ever smaller DNA samples more quickly should increase activity and decrease costs in settings as disparate as healthcare, forensics, toxicology, environmental monitoring, and quality control in the food industry. The U.S. healthcare industry has a pivotal role in the economic health of the country. The U.S. healthcare industry stands at a critical juncture.
Information technology forms an important part of the solution.
Yet implementing such an infrastructure in the real-world healthcare environment is confounding at best. This program is designed to help bridge the gap between the dream and reality. In an area as complex as the nation's healthcare enterprise, diverse information systems must be integrated in a way that helps, not hinders, the work of individual healthcare providers. To be most effective, the infrastructure development for information systems must be driven by what the user needs, not by what technology is available. The Advanced Technology Program focused program will help lay the foundation for a healthcare information infrastructure by funding the development of underlying infrastructural technologies, tools to make the infrastructure efficient and user friendly, and healthcare-specific applications.