(Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama said he will ask Congress for $215 million to fund his vision for a million- strong cohort of volunteers whose genetic and health data will be used to develop personalized medicine.

"Precision medicine — in some cases, people call it personalized medicine — gives us one of the greatest opportunities for new medical breakthroughs that we have ever seen," Obama said Friday at the White House, where he announced the initiative.

The White House proposal will be part of the fiscal 2016 budget that Obama plans to submit to lawmakers on Feb. 2. The National Institutes of Health, with $130 million, will spearhead the development of the national cohort, while the National Cancer Institute will get $70 million to focus on genomic drivers in cancer.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO, part of your ALM digital membership.

  • Critical BenefitsPRO information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.