Children’s Mercy Research Institute has been expanding its efforts to understand the genetics underlying rare diseases. Earlier this year, it opened a new home in downtown Kansas City and at the end of last year launched Genomic Answers for Kids, a first of its kind pediatric data repository and the institutes flagship research initiative. We spoke to Tom Curran, senior vice president, chief scientific officer, and executive director of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, about the program, its ambitious efforts, and it focus on translational research.