OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omicia, Inc., the leading genome interpretation company, today announced that it has been selected by Genomics England as part of its Annotation Assessment for the 100,000 Genomes Project and will move to the next stage.
“Omicia is honored to be named a finalist in Genomics England’s annotation assessment for the pioneering 100,000 Genomes Project,” said Mike Aicher, CEO of Omicia. “Omicia’s Opal clinical bioinformatics platform and unique algorithms are leading the field in addressing the challenge of understanding, interpretation and reporting on vast amounts of NGS data. Our work with this project will further open the door to leveraging genomics to truly personalize medicine.”
The Opal platform will be provided for both clinical and research applications in the next phase of the 100,000 Genomes Project. Omicia’s comprehensive genome interpretation platform includes Opal Clinical, a robust application to interpret genomic tests and generate clinical reports, as well as Opal Research, that accelerates the discovery and development of new biomarkers for diagnostics and therapeutics.
The 100,000 Genomes Project plans to sequence 100,000 genomes of UK-based participants by 2017 to create a dataset of anonymous whole genome sequences matched with clinical data at massive scale, and will make that data available for research and development. Initially, the project is focusing on patients with rare diseases, and their families, as well as patients with common cancers.
According to Genomics England, It is estimated that one in 17 people are born with or will develop a rare disease during their lifetime. At least 80% of rare diseases have an identified genetic component, with 50% of new cases of rare diseases being identified in children. However, it can take considerable time and expense between a patient visiting a doctor and receiving an accurate diagnosis. Recently, the time to sequence a whole human genome has been dramatically reduced and is becoming more affordable for routine use as the price continues to fall.
About Omicia, Inc.
Omicia delivers genome analysis solutions for research, diagnostic and clinical applications. Our market-leading software platform enables analysis, interpretation and reporting on genomic data to expedite diagnosis and improve medical outcomes. Omicia’s products are in use at more than 400 world-class academic and clinical institutions worldwide. By accelerating understanding of the genetic basis of disease, drug response and health, Omicia is unlocking the potential of individualized medicine. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Omicia was founded by renowned industry veterans with a deep understanding of technology, genomics and diagnostics. Investors include Artis Ventures, Bay City Capital, Casdin Capital, Buchanan Investments, Acadia Woods and Yuri Milner. For more information, visit www.omicia.com and follow us @omicia.
