# Omics of Rheumatic Diseases among the Lakota Indians

> **NIH NIH U54** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $457,214

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: Project 1: BRAICELET- Bio-Repository for American Indian Capacity, Education, Law, 
Economics and Technology. 
To help reduce the myriad of health disparities in American Indian populations, this proposal's primary aim 
focuses on the establishment of the first tribally-owned biobank as a conduit for education on the benefits of 
precision medicine and big-data health science. Here, BRAICELET- Bio-Repository for American Indian 
Capacity, Education, Law, Economics and Technology will be initiated with the eminent Lakota Sioux community. 
This will serve as a proof of principle study on how educative and capacity building methods can promote long 
term self-sustainability and autonomy on advanced health care practices and management. The Stanford 
Biobank HIMC (Human Immune Monitoring Center) will act as a blueprint, whereby best lab protocols and secure 
database management programs will be adapted to include Lakota language and cultural/ceremonial practices. 
This proposal has the advantage of an ongoing collaboration with the Lakota community for an –omics study on 
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) called SAIL (Studies in Autoimmune Illnesses with the Lakota). As an extension of our 
SAIL partnership (AIM 2), an additional 200 samples will be accrued from the community and will act as the first 
bio-specimens that will be collected, tested (genotype and transcriptome partnered with Stanford) stored and 
managed at BRAICELET. A focus on progress and dissemination of this SAIL –omics work will be embedded 
in the third aim of this proposal. This will be done first through creating a health science literacy and education 
curriculum adopted from Stanford's “big data” course program and tailored to the Lakota grassroots community 
and health care workers. Courses will include big data ethics, disease risk assessment through –omics analysis 
and the advantages of pharmacogenetics. To monitor if genetics and precision medicine course information is 
effectively communicated with the Lakota members, a five point knowledge assessment method/questionnaire 
will be used with BRAICELET recruiters and SAIL participants. An iterative evaluation of this questionnaire will 
assess progress and actively implement improvements to the curriculum. The growing attention to 
environmental, climate/geography and socio-economic relationships with genetic health data is now at the 
national and international level. BRAICELET takes this into account with context of geography, culture and 
environmental exposure of one group, in one place. This greatly increases the power, validity and usefulness of 
conclusions from precision medicine research studies. A bio-repository is an opportunity for tribal nations to 
retain & manage their own biological material on-site and further learn and define for themselves the benefits of 
big-data health science. Undoubtedly, an American Indian representation, scientific/cultural/political exchange 
and perspective will be of great ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9896676
- **Project number:** 5U54MD010724-05
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL P. SNYDER
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $457,214
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9896676

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9896676, Omics of Rheumatic Diseases among the Lakota Indians (5U54MD010724-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9896676. Licensed CC0.

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