Smith Family Clinic celebrates decade of using DNA to solve medical mysteries

HUNTSVILLE — In November 2015, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology launched the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine.

Since that time, thousands of patients have visited the clinic to receive diagnosis and treatment for undiagnosed diseases. Led by director Meagan Cochran, the clinic focuses on using DNA to identify the causes of illness in children and adults with undiagnosed diseases.

The clinic provides genetic counseling to patients with a disease diagnosis or family history of disease, diagnoses patients with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed genetic diseases, and provides proactive health screenings for those interested in pharmacogenetic testing, carrier testing, or elective disease risk testing.

Patients are seen by a clinical geneticist and/or genetic counselor who evaluate symptoms to determine if genetic testing is appropriate and, if so, the type of genetic test needed. Test results are then interpreted to identify changes in the DNA that may be linked to disease, drug interactions, family history of disease or other implications.

“We couldn’t be happier that the Smith Family Clinic calls HudsonAlpha’s campus ‘home’,” said HudsonAlpha President Neil Lamb, PhD. “In addition to meeting the needs of individuals with rare, undiagnosed disorders, the clinic is the recruitment site for several HudsonAlpha research initiatives including our Parkinson’s biomarker study and the HOPE-AD dementia trial.

“We look forward to welcoming individuals and providing answers for years to come.”

The clinic is named in honor of the Smith family of Huntsville.

Mark C. Smith, who died in 2007, was cofounder of Adtran, and a major philanthropist in the city. He was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2000 and this challenging time in his life contributed to his interest in biotechnology.

Smith became  involved with HudsonAlpha and was one of the Institute’s founding board members. Today, his wife, Linda, is a member of HudsonAlpha’s Board of Directors and the HudsonAlpha Foundation Board.

“When we opened the doors of the Smith Family Clinic 10 years ago, our family’s vision was to provide answers and hope for families facing the unknown,” Linda Smith said. “Seeing how many lives have been touched through the power of genomic medicine has been more rewarding than we could have ever imagined.”

The 4,500-square-foot clinic is at 701 McMillian Way on the HudsonAlpha campus. For more information, visit smithfamilyclinic.org.