SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 3, 2015 -- WuXi NextCODE, a precision medicine company using the genome to improve health worldwide, today announced that it has been selected by Genomics England (GeL) to provide clinical interpretation of the whole genome sequences of both rare disease and cancer patients as part of the first phase of the 100,000 Genomes Project (UK100K) of the UK National Health Service (NHS).
WuXi NextCODE will deploy its unique database model and clinical and tumor-normal analysis and reporting systems at GeL, enabling NHS clinicians to begin to efficiently analyze patient sequence data and to identify causative variants in rare diseases and driver mutations in tumors. GeL plans to sequence and interpret the genomes of 8,000 patients in this initial phase of the UK100K project and to test the systems prior to contracting with the four winning companies.
"We are excited by the opportunity to employ WuXi NextCODE's capabilities at GeL and to help to deliver the benefits of the UK100K project to patients," said Dr. Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech, of which WuXi NextCODE is a wholly owned subsidiary. "GeL is a pioneer in the global movement to realize precision medicine at scale, and we are honored to play a part in delivering on this vision in the UK and around the world."
"The results of the process announced today are an important validation of the uniquely broad power of our technology for applying genomic big data to healthcare," said Hannes Smarason, co-founder and COO of WuXi NextCODE. "Our system is proven and in use in every facet of GeL's activities – from diagnostics to population research and better drug development – and we look forward to putting the full range of our capabilities to work for them."
GeL was established by the UK Department of Health with the aim of sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from about 75,000 volunteer participants by 2017. The project is recruiting NHS patients with common cancers, as well as NHS patients with rare diseases and their families.
WuXi NextCODE offers uniquely comprehensive and integrated capabilities for using the genome to better diagnose disease and create better medicine. These include a full range of sequencing services through our CLIA-certified laboratory; the world's leading genome sequence analysis system; a novel database architecture that makes it possible to query, manage, store and share massive genomic data with unrivalled speed and efficiency; and the know-how and experience to apply genomics to optimize every aspect of drug discovery and development. With offices in Shanghai, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Reykjavik, we enable clinicians and researchers at institutions and companies worldwide to use the full power of the genome to diagnose, treat and prevent disease.
Contact:
Edward Farmer
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+1 781 775 6206