A U. Florida researcher received about a $10 million grant to study the relationship between a person’s genetic code and the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.

Julie Johnson, chair of pharmacotherapy and translational research in the College of Pharmacy, is the leader of one of 14 research groups that received funding from The National Institutes of Health as part of the National Pharmacogenomics Research Network.

Rochelle Long, director of the Pharmacogenomics Research Network, said Johnson received the funding because of the significance of high blood pressure and the drugs she is testing.

Long said that the selection process is competitive, but Johnson had the most meritorious application.

The funding will be used to pay for five years of research, including a clinical trial, lab work and statistical work, Johnson said.

“It’s thought that in the next decade more people will have their genetic code in their medical record,” she said.

She said treating a patient’s high blood pressure quickly is important in preventing heart attacks and strokes.

“Even getting blood pressure controlled one or two months quicker leads to better outcomes two, three years down the road,” Johnson said.