Tag Archives: genomics

2015: An Inflection Point for Genomics Adoption Around the Globe

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2015 is shaping up to be a significant year in the advancement and adoption of genome sequencing and personalized medicine around the globe.

The year 2015 is shaping up to be an inflection point in the advancement and adoption of genome sequencing and personalized medicine.  While private initiatives are often the centerpiece of media coverage, leading governments clearly have advanced a number of important initiatives this year.  Indeed, many governments around the globe are actively promoting widespread utilization of genomics, supporting academic research, establishing industry guidelines, and raising public awareness.

Governments Serving as Catalysts for Genomics Progress

The efforts of officials worldwide to engage with and support the private sector’s tremendous potential have helped to make 2015 a significant year for expanding the use of genomics in clinical care.  A few highlights of 2015 include:

— In the U.S., President Obama made precision health one of the centerpieces of his State of the Union address in January. Obama’s administration kicked this effort off by requesting a $215M investment in a Precision Medicine Initiative with the following key attributes:

  • The cornerstone of Obama’s proposal is the plan to collect and analyze genomic data from a million or more volunteers;
  • The initiative further supports genomics through expanded research into the genetic mutations that drive cancer;
  • Additional funding is earmarked to maintain databases and develop industry standards.

— Germany and the U.K. expanded eligibility for government-funded genetic testing for breast cancer patients.

— Israel announced its intent to establish a government-sponsored genetic database.

— Through the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. federal government proposed dozens of new funding opportunities to support research in genetic sequencing and analysis.

— Japan launched an Initiative on Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases to provide genomic analysis and expert consultation for up to 1,000 individuals with childhood onset of undiagnosed conditions.

— Through Genomics England (which I described in further detail here), the U.K. Department of Health tapped WuXi NextCODE and others to begin interpretation in its groundbreaking 100,000 Genomes Project.

In news today, the trend toward globalization of genomics continues, as private sector leaders aligned to meet the needs of the forward-looking government health initiatives of Qatar:

— WuXi NextCODE and the Sidra Medical and Research Center partner to power population genomics and precision medicine in Qatar. Our partnership will:

  • Facilitate clinical diagnostics;
  •  Accelerate research; and
  • Support the Qatar Genome Project.

As I have discussed in an earlier post, large-scale population studies are an essential step in harnessing the power of genomics to improve health worldwide.  Since WuXi NextCODE’s foundational heritage as part of deCODE Genetics’ landmark analysis of Icelanders, we have always developed the tools to help translate sequence data into precision medicine on a large scale.  In our work with Genomics England, our collaboration with Fudan Children’s Hospital to diagnose rare diseases in China, and now our partnership with Sidra, the team at WuXi NextCODE is leading the effort to realize the potential of genomics on a truly global scale. The increasing interest in supporting those efforts shown by leading governments across the globe is helping to drive the successful use and application of genomics worldwide.

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Genomics for Rare Diseases: Going Global and Shifting the Care Paradigm

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The use of genomics in rare disease diagnosis and treatment is going global

The benefits of genomics in rare diseases are increasingly making a difference to patients, their families, and their physicians, and they are being scaled globally.

The trend of accelerating the use of genomics in rare disease diagnosis and treatment is going global, driven by the important goal of reaching all people around the world, no matter where they live.

Active programs have now been deployed and exist in many populous countries around the world.

For instance, WuXi NextCODE has established active collaborative efforts in three continents, most recently adding Fudan Children’s Hospital as a partner in its efforts to lead whole genome diagnostics for rare diseases in China.

Over the coming weeks, I expect WuXi NextCODE to continue have news of its dedicated efforts to spread the application of genomics for rare diseases to all geographies.

Diagnosing Rare Diseases: Genomics Shifts the Paradigm

Rare diseases are an area of significant advancement for genomics, as the opportunity for improved diagnosis and treatment through the use of genomics is truly remarkable.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are over 7,000 rare diseases affecting between 25 and 30 million Americans, which is nearly 1 in 10 people, making the overall prevalence of rare diseases significant. Since NIH believes that approximately 80 percent of rare diseases have genetic origins, the potential for genomic sequencing, interpretation, and analysis to offer a solution here is truly game-changing.

Every day there are new cases of children with “unknown” diseases, many of which are likely related to a hereditary genetic disorder. Sadly, these children and their families often spend years undergoing testing and experimental treatments for a wide range of diseases in an attempt to properly diagnose and treat them; usually, this so-called “diagnostic odyssey” is accompanied by a very high financial and emotional burden.

Genomics offers the potential to deliver a correct and precise diagnosis for rare diseases that have identifiable genetic causes. Indeed, case studies are rapidly accumulating that show that, by offering genomic sequencing and analysis services to patients with a suspected rare genetic disease, mutations that might be causing the disease may be identified, and thus correct treatment can be employed much earlier to eliminate the burden of a long-term diagnostic and treatment odyssey.  A recent article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek highlighted medical histories of two patients who recently received a diagnosis informed by genomics. In both these representative examples, genomic analyses provided an end to the burden, cost, and stress of their multidecade-long diagnostic odyssey:

  • Jackie Smith, 35, spent the 32 years from age 3 unable to receive a correct diagnosis that could account for her weak limbs and turned-in ankles, despite seeing many doctors on numerous occasions. Indeed, Jackie’s parents were told to “take the 3-year-old girl home and enjoy her while they could” …”[her disease] would probably kill her before she was old enough to drive.”  This past February, using genomic interpretation and analyses from Wuxi NextCODE, Claritas Genomics definitively identified her condition as centronuclear myopathy in less than three weeks.
  • Dustin Bennett, 24, would tremble and violently jerk for hours or days at a time and had been developmentally delayed since childhood. After dozens of doctor visits and incorrect diagnoses—seizures, muscle disorders, mental health problems—a Mayo Clinic genomic-based analysis showed he has episodic ataxia type I, a neurological disease characterized by hours-long attacks with no clear trigger. Dustin, a 24-year-old who functions at a first-grade level, is now on the second round of a medication doctors say should help reduce the frequency and severity of his episodes.

The benefits of genomics in rare diseases – to individuals, their families, and their physicians – are increasingly making a difference to patients.  These benefits are being seen in case after case – and they are being scaled globally, as leading medical centers in many countries around the world are using genomics to support their efforts in diagnosing and treating rare diseases.  I believe passionately in the game-changing potential of genomics to help rare disease patients and I am dedicated to advancing world-leading genomics globally to uncover new solutions for patients.

Genomics Offers Game-Changing Solution to Rare Disease Diagnosis, Costs

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Hannes Smarason Wuxi NextCODE

As genomics is used more and supported by ever-more robust analysis and interpretation, its potential to offer a solution to diagnosing rare diseases is truly game-changing.

I believe strongly and have previously blogged on the potential for genomics to shift the care paradigm for rare diseases, and here I’d like to detail in particular the huge potential value genomics can add to rare disease diagnosis. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are over 7,000 rare diseases affecting between 25 and 30 million Americans, which is nearly 1 in 10 people, making the overall prevalence of rare diseases significant. Rare diseases can be chronic, progressive, debilitating, disabling, severe, and life-threatening.

When a patient presents with a spectrum of unusual symptoms, a costly scramble naturally begins to diagnose the patient’s disease. Some people refer to this diagnosis process for rare diseases as a “diagnostic odyssey,” as patients and their families are subjected to test after test while being handed from one doctor to another, oftentimes to medical centers far from their home. Too often, this odyssey yields no concrete diagnosis or—worse—misdiagnosis. The direct medical costs can be significant, and the indirect costs—the frustration and disillusion felt by the patients and the family—can be extraordinary.

Since NIH believes that approximately 80 percent of rare diseases have genetic origins, the potential for genomic sequencing, interpretation, and analysis to offer a solution here is truly game-changing. A recent article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek highlighted medical histories of two patients who recently received a diagnosis informed by genomics. In both these examples, genomic analyses provided an end to the burden, cost, and stress of their multidecade-long diagnostic odyssey:

  • Jackie Smith, 35, spent the 32 years from age 3 unable to receive a correct diagnosis that could account for her weak limbs and turned-in ankles, despite seeing many doctors on numerous occasions. Indeed, Jackie’s parents were told to “take the 3-year-old girl home and enjoy her while they could”…”[her disease] would probably kill her before she was old enough to drive.”  This past February, using genomic interpretation and analyses from Wuxi NextCODE, Claritas Genomics definitively identified her condition as centronuclear myopathy in less than three weeks.
  • Dustin Bennett, 24, would tremble and violently jerk for hours or days at a time and had been developmentally delayed since childhood. After dozens of doctor visits and incorrect diagnoses—seizures, muscle disorders, mental health problems—a Mayo Clinic genomic-based analysis showed he has episodic ataxia type I, a neurological disease characterized by hours-long attacks with no clear trigger. Dustin, a 24-year-old who functions at a first-grade level, is now on the second round of a medication doctors say should help reduce the frequency and severity of his episodes.

As genomics is used more and supported by ever-more robust analysis and interpretation, I expect these types of clear successes to become even more commonplace. And the value to the healthcare system and the patient is clear, expressed powerfully in the Bloomberg BusinessWeek piece:

While there isn’t yet a cure, Smith is participating in research that may one day lead to treatments or more supportive care. “Just being connected feels good. I felt alone for a long time,” she says. “And I want to do it for the bigger picture, too. Not just for myself, but so I can be counted.”

 

A New Era, New Vision for WuXi and NextCODE Health

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WuXi-NextCODE

WuXi PharmaTech has acquired NextCODE Health to create WuXi NextCODE Genomics, a global leader in genomic medicine. Pairing WuXi’s technology and existing reach with NextCODE’s leading analytics and database promises to advance the pace of genomics research today.

In the fast-paced genomics community, we continually look for new opportunities and strategies to enhance the value of genomics and use the increasingly robust body of genomic data for the advancement of clinical medicine.

We’re excited to announce a new, ambitious vision to do just that, with WuXi’s acquisition of NextCODE Health. NextCODE will be merged with WuXi’s existing Genome Center in wholly-owned subsidiary called WuXi NextCODE Genomics, with unique, comprehensive and global capabilities for using genomic data to deliver better medicine and improve healthcare.

WuXi, a Shanghai-based genomic laboratory service partner for companies in the pharma and biotech community, has already been collaborating with NextCODE to provide analysis services to customers of the WuXi Genome Center. Now, with the in-house capability to analyze, store, and manage the vast amount of genomic data, NextCODE’s industry-leading genome sequence analysis platform will expand WuXi’s core next-generation sequencing benefits and services.

Pairing WuXi’s technology and existing reach with NextCODE’s leading analytics and database promises to advance the pace of genomics research today. More importantly, however, this new era for NextCODE brings exciting opportunities to maximize the most advanced tools available today and contribute to major advances in genomic medicine.

Global Projects Move Genomic Medicine to the Next Level

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NextCODE takes top marks in Genomics England analysis and interpretation “bake-off:” NextCODE’s proven population-scale platform delivered the best results in rare disease and cancer clinical interpretation, as well as secondary analysis and variant refinement.

New genomics-based technologies and tools are making their way into a range of exciting research programs and clinical studies around the world. Leading-edge organizations are quickly adopting hardware for sequencing and systems for collecting genomic data. Now, the focus has turned to analysis and interpretation – the critical component necessary to gain the insights from the sequence data that will transform medicine.

Earlier this year, Genomics England announced investments for broad sequencing and analysis of 100,000 human genomes. At the time, Genomics England had selected Illumina as its sequencing partner and was coordinating resources and centers to support the effort, including resourcing for analysis and interpretation. [See blog post here]. Other initiatives, such as the Qatar genomics program and the initiatives by Longevity and Regeneron also represent the accelerated progress in seeking medical advancements from genomic data insights. [See blog post here.]

This week, Genomics England announced a select group of companies with advanced capabilities to move to the next stage of evaluation to provide clinical interpretation for the 100K Genomes Project. At the tip top was NextCODE, which received top marks by Genomics England for its analytical capabilities across all the categories evaluated: rare disease interpretation, secondary pipeline analysis and cancer interpretation. [See press release here.] The company’s advanced Genomically-Ordered Relational database, or GOR, combined with its clinical and discovery interfaces offer the most advanced and reliable capabilities to support the ambitious tasks undertaken by Genomics England, and are already proven at population scale. [Read more on the GOR database here.]

The coming months will be a very exciting time for genomic medicine, with interpretation taking the spotlight as we take leaps toward the next stage of personalized medicine.

Genomics and Rare Diseases: Hope for Solving Unanswered Questions

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Leading institutions around the world are leveraging the power of advanced sequencing technology to solve some of the greatest unanswered questions in medicine.

As we learn more about disease biology and uncover new insights thanks to the availability of genomic technologies, we are making meaningful progress in identifying means to address many rare diseases for which there is little medical hope today.

With these new genomic tools and insights, a wide range of opportunities has emerged to improve diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. Over the past few years, DNA sequencing has begun to uncover the causes of rare diseases and, at the heart of each case solved is a patient and a family that has gained new understanding about their condition. With time, these success stories in diagnosis will lead to more successes in treatment.

Now more than ever, there is more hope that identifying the key mutations will lead to better understanding of the biology of disease and then to novel therapies. Better and faster technologies are being promoted by leaders in the field of genomics that are enabling much more rapid analysis and interpretation of a patient’s genome to find answers. The critical first step is to obtain sufficient data to analyze, compare it against a robust database of reference data, and gain an accurate understanding of potential mutations associated with these rare conditions.

As researchers focus on specific areas, new partnerships are extending access to data and accelerating progress with rare diseases around the world. Recently, genomic analysis collaborations were initiated by ACoRD at University College Dublin to implement NextCODE’s proprietary database and analytical tools to mine whole genome data for variants linked to autism spectrum disorders. [See blog post here]. Another genomic analysis program with ANZAC in Australia applies advanced sequencing analysis technology to better understand X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome, a rare and progressively debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. [See blog post here] More collaborations are in the works and we’ll be talking about them as soon as we can.

We look forward to the results of these and other collaborations as leading institutions around the world make efforts to leverage the power of advanced sequencing technology to solve some of the greatest unanswered questions in medicine.