The University of California, Irvine has received a $4.2 million award from the National Institutes of Health to continue its work with the All of Us Research Program. This funding will support ongoing participant enrollment and aid the study of cardiometabolic health, particularly among populations historically underrepresented in biomedical research.
This initiative is a collaborative effort by the NIH, backed by the All of Us Research Program and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The project aims to generate data on conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. This data is intended to pave the way for precision medicine approaches designed to reduce health disparities.
Hoda Anton-Culver, PhD, Donald Bren Professor and Distinguished Professor of medicine, who serves as the principal investigator leading the UC Irvine All of Us research team, explained the project's focus. "Our project focuses on enrolling participants who have, or are at elevated risk for, cardiometabolic conditions," Anton-Culver stated. "By gathering more comprehensive longitudinal data, we hope to uncover new insights that help prevent and treat these chronic conditions."
Under this award, the All of Us Research Program at UC Irvine will enroll 1,200 new adult participants who either have or are at risk for cardiometabolic health conditions. Recruitment for these participants will occur at the UCI Medical Center, the Federally Qualified Health Centers in Santa Ana and Anaheim, and the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care located in Irvine.
Participants who consent to join will contribute through survey questions covering lifestyle, physical health, and mental health. They will also share biospecimens and electronic health record data. This information will be used by researchers to study the associations between cardiometabolic conditions, genetics, environmental factors, and mental health.
In addition to new enrollments, researchers will follow up with 800 existing All of Us participants who initially enrolled at least two years ago. These individuals will be invited to complete a second biospecimen collection and repeat surveys. Anton-Culver noted the importance of this follow-up, stating that it allows researchers to study health changes in high-risk individuals at different points over time. The updated information, she explained, can lead to discoveries about disease progression, prevention, treatment, and long-term health outcomes.
Participants in this project will also be invited to join the Eyes on Health study. This is an ocular imaging study conducted by the UC Irvine All of Us team, with support from the NIH National Eye Institute. Anton-Culver explained that certain health conditions, like diabetes and hypertension, are known to affect changes in the eye.
Since September 2025, UC Irvine has enrolled nearly 1,500 All of Us participants into the Eyes on Health study. This effort collects retinal fundus photos and optical coherence tomography scans. These images enrich the All of Us dataset, enabling researchers to explore connections between eye health and overall health. Participants in the Eyes on Health study receive a printed color fundus photo of their retina, educational materials focused on eye health, and $25 as compensation for their time. If any signs of optical tumors, retinal detachment, or optic disc edema are detected during the review process, participants are notified. Providing valuable information back to participants is a core principle of the All of Us program.
All adults interested in contributing to scientific discovery are invited to join the All of Us Research Program. For those wishing to participate or learn more about the All of Us Research Program, the Eyes on Health study, or the Cardiometabolic Health study, the UC Irvine All of Us research team can be contacted by calling (949) 824-0282 or emailing [email protected].
