Complete Genomics Partners With Inova Health System to Sequence the Genomes of 500 Babies and Their Parents

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., and FALLS CHURCH, Va., Sep 8, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Complete Genomics Inc., a complete human genome sequencing company, and Inova Health System, a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia, today announced additional details about their partnership to sequence 1,500 genomes from 500 babies and their parents. The goal of this project is to identify prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic targets for pre-term delivery and potentially other obstetrics associated abnormalities. This project was first announced during Complete Genomics' Q2 earnings call on Aug. 4, 2011.

This partnership is part of a pilot program with the Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI), a not-for-profit research institute within the Inova Health System in Falls Church, Va., aimed at translating clinical research into actual care programs using genomically driven patient care often referred to as personalized medicine.

"Complete Genomics is a natural choice as our sequencing partner for this new program," said John Niederhuber, CEO, Inova Translational Medicine Institute. "We are confident that Complete Genomics can manage a large project of this type efficiently and produce the consistent, high-quality sequencing data that we need to be able to understand the subtle genetic changes that contribute to pre-term delivery."

"The Inova Translational Medicine Institute is truly an innovator in the delivery of patient care, striving to not only understand the genomic makeup of patients, but also to customize care to the individual to help prevent or manage their diseases," said Dr. Clifford Reid, chairman, president and CEO of Complete Genomics. "We view this as an important opportunity for our sequencing service to potentially help create new treatment options for some of the smallest and sickest patients in the hospital."

ITMI has already begun collecting DNA samples for Complete Genomics to begin sequencing in September. Complete Genomics will begin delivering variant reports to ITMI as early as Q4 and expects to finish a large majority of the 1,500 genomes in the first quarter of 2012. These results will detail how the genomes of pre-term delivery babies from Inova Fairfax Hospital's Joint Commission certified Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) compare with reference genomes. They will include information about the SNPs, insertions/deletions, copy number variations and structural variations included in each DNA sample, together with the read alignments supporting those calls, coverage information and quality scores. In addition to sequence-based data, ITMI will also generate epigenomic, expression and micro RNA data on each sample. Data from Inova Health System's electronic medical record system will support ITMI's outcomes-based research.

About Complete Genomics

Complete Genomics is a complete human genome sequencing company that has developed and commercialized an innovative DNA sequencing platform. The Complete Genomics Analysis Platform (CGA(TM) Platform) combines Complete Genomics' proprietary human genome sequencing technology with our advanced informatics and data management software. We offer this solution as an innovative, end-to-end, outsourced service, CGA(TM) Service, and provide customers with data that is immediately ready to be used for genome-based research. Additional information can be found at http://www.completegenomics.com .

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About Inova Health System

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova's mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research.

Inova Fairfax Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's first-ever Gold Seal of Approval(TM) for Prematurity (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). Inova Fairfax Hospital delivers more than 10,000 babies each year, and this certification recognizes the hospital's dedication to exceeding the national standards in premature care for babies born throughout the region.

About Inova Translational Medicine Institute

Established in 2010 as a research organization, the Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) is part of the Inova Health System (IHS). ITMI's mission is to translate new knowledge from genomics and the molecular sciences into value-added interventions and strategies that enable Inova's diverse physician community to deliver state-of-the art patient care and disease risk reduction to its broad patient base.