Population Services

Dallas Heart Study

The Dallas Heart Study (DHS) is a probability sample of Dallas County that was established between 2000-2002 with funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. The sample includes 51percent African-American, 15 percent Hispanic, 33 percent European-American and 2 percent other ethnicities.

The population underwent repeat phenotyping in 2007-2009 prior to completion of the 10-year grant. Blood samples, blood pressures, body composition measurements, and extensive medical histories were obtained from 3,557 research participants, and 3,000 of these research participants underwent multiple imaging studies (computer tomography of the heart, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart, aorta, and abdomen, proton MR spectroscopy of the liver and DXA scanning).

At the repeat visit, these studies were repeated and several studies added that expand the study beyond cardiovascular disease: memory testing (MOCA), exercise testing, brain and carotid MRI scans, and placement of an accelerometer to track activity for seven days.

The survey data is augmented by reports from the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, which tracks all hospital admissions in the metro area. Finally, death records are obtained yearly from the National Death Index.

UTSW investigators and collaborators may submit a proposal to recruit from the Dallas Heart Study population or to use DHS data and resources. Please view the instructions for submitting a proposal or email the DHS Project Manager.

Multiethnic BioBank

The advent of next generation DNA sequencing has presented the opportunity to identify rare variants that cause human disease. A major challenge of this new technology is to determine if a variant that is identified by sequencing is causative or is a very low frequency polymorphism. This problem is exaggerated for individuals from underserved minorities who are under-represented in existing population-based databases.

The Multiethnic BioBank is designed to facilitate translational research in the medically underserved of North Texas. Recruitment is underway to obtain blood samples, genomic DNA, anthropometrics, blood pressure, and a brief medical history from 10,000 African Americans and 10,000 Hispanics (10,000 European-Americans have already been collected in collaboration with the Cooper Institute). All participants have consented to be contacted for future clinical studies.

Email the BioBank: thebiobank@utsouthwestern.edu