# CHARGE consortium: omics discovery for CVD and aging phenotypes

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2022 · $647,561

## Abstract

Consortia of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have often organized around specific phenotypes
such as diabetes to discover associations with genetic variants. In contrast, the Cohorts for Heart and Aging
Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium was formed from large population-based cohort
studies to facilitate prospectively-planned GWAS meta-analyses of a wide range of phenotypes. Expanded
from the original 5 studies to 10, CHARGE cohorts have repeated measures of risk factors, subclinical
disease measures, and cardiovascular events. Their collaboration represents a unique resource for
identifying and validating genetic loci associated with a variety of cardiovascular and aging phenotypes.
Since 2011, HL105756 has supported the CHARGE consortium, which has 977 publications, many in high-
impact journals, more than 51,000 citations, and an h-index of 113. In recent years, investigators from the
CHARGE cohorts have obtained not only additional genetic data—both whole-genome sequence (WGS)
data on 54,771 participants and whole-exome sequence (WES) data on 26,383; but also a variety of omics
data, some at multiple time points, including 1) 53,780 DNA methylation assays on 38,682 participants; 2)
17,175 gene expression assays on 13,305; 3) 43,660 metabolomic assays on 34,110; and 4) 52,707
proteomics assays on 36,043. CHARGE and its 38 active Working Groups (WGs), which collaborate and
coordinate with NIH programs such as the NHLBI’s TOPMed, are well positioned to accommodate new
directions in genetic epidemiology—large-scale collaborations for discovery and the use of various methods
and omics data to define function. New to this application are the participation by the Million Veteran
Program, the transition of the CHARGE Analysis Commons to run on the NHLBI’s BioData Catalyst
ecosystem, and the addition of the CHARGE Polygenic Risk Scores, Academic Biobank, and Proteomics
WGs. The goals of this competing renewal are to accelerate discovery of mechanisms underlying diseases
of the cardiovascular system through robust analysis of genomic data and to discover the function of the
associated variants through analytic methods and integration with existing and emerging omics data. The
aims of this competing renewal application are: 1) to provide coordinating-center-like administrative support
for CHARGE, its committees, and WGs; 2) to organize two major meetings per year as well as ancillary
workshops; 3) to organize monthly webinars; 4) to provide CHARGE-meeting travel awards for early-career
investigators who submit the best abstracts; 5) to provide administrative support for the Analysis Commons
and the CHARGE dbGaP Summary Results Website; and 6) to provide modest support for the participating
cohorts and committees. For early-career investigators, who have often championed CHARGE analyses
and manuscripts, the CHARGE consortium has become a de facto international training ground for
collaborative epidemiological efforts in the genet...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10519686
- **Project number:** 2R01HL105756-11
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Bruce M Psaty
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $647,561
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2011-02-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10519686

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10519686, CHARGE consortium: omics discovery for CVD and aging phenotypes (2R01HL105756-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10519686. Licensed CC0.

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