OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omicia, Inc., a leading clinical genomics company, today announced it has expanded its scientific advisory board (SAB). Four new world-renowned clinical and genomic scientists will advise the strategic development of Omicia’s clinical diagnostic genome interpretation software, and support the company’s vision of improved patient care through personalized medicine.
Omicia combines genome science with state-of-the-art engineering to help researchers and clinical diagnostic organizations analyze and identify the genetic basis of a variety of conditions, including childhood disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
“Genomics is advancing swiftly from the research lab to the clinic,” said Martin Reese, Omicia’s Founder and President, “so we are thrilled to expand our scientific advisory board to provide clinical expertise to the nascent world of patient-centric individualized medicine. Having some of the best minds in genomic medicine ensures that our products have scientific merit, are evidence-based, and where applicable, provide actionable value to clinicians. We are extremely honored to have such a superb and extinguished SAB and thank our members for their trust and commitment.”
The new members of Omicia’s SAB represent expertise in both clinical and research aspects of genomics:
- Heidi Rehm, Ph.D., FACMG – One of the Principal Investigators of a recent NIH-funded initiative called the “Clinical Genome Resource” (ClinGen); Director of the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine at Partners Healthcare Personalized Medicine and Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.
- Geoffrey Ginsburg, M.D., Ph.D. – Pioneer in translational genomics and precision medicine with funding from the NIH, the US Air Force, the US Navy, DARPA and the Gates Foundation; Director, Genomic Medicine of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy; and Executive Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine and Precision, Duke Medicine and Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering.
- Thomas Quertermous, M.D. – A renowned expert whose research focuses on the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease; William G. Irwin Professor of Medicine and Director of Research for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University; senior author of recently-published JAMA paper on the current state of whole genome sequencing, interpretation and clinical practicality.
- Mark Yandell, Ph.D. – Internationally recognized expert in comparative genomics and bioinformatics with roots in the early days of the Human Genome Project at Washington University and Celera Genomics; University of Utah H.A. & Edna Benning Presidential Endowed Chair Professor of Human Genetics, and Co-director of the USTAR Center for Genetic Discovery; collaborator and co-inventor of Omicia’s VAAST and newly-released Phevor algorithms.
“The genetic community is facing the challenge of bringing genomic insights into clinical practice,” said Heidi Rehm. “Novel genomic and bioinformatics algorithmic approaches, combined with solid software engineering skills, are key to meeting that challenge.” Geoffrey Ginsburg added, “The time is right for genomics to become part of clinical medicine. I applaud Omicia’s scientific approach of unique algorithms rooted in a deep understanding of molecular biology and biomedical ontologies, supported by a series of NIH grants and fundamental publications.”
“As a long-time collaborator with Omicia, I look forward to joining Martin Reese and the other members of Omicia’s SAB to bring novel methods and tools in genomic medicine to market through solid and thoughtful software engineering and marketing approaches,” said Mark Yandell. “The VAAST tool developed at the University of Utah is now accessible to researchers and clinicians anywhere in the world through Omicia’s user-friendly Opal application. Over the last few years it has advanced from research prototype to robust and validated clinical tool.” Thomas Quertermous added, “I am honored to lend my expertise and medical experience to the Omicia team to guide them as they build a robust decision-making system for clinical care organizations. Omicia is uniquely positioned with its powerful algorithms and team of experts to become a leader in the emerging world of clinical genomics.”
The new scientific advisory board members join current members Paul Billings, M.D., Ph.D., Paul Flicek, Ph.D., Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Pui-Yan Kwok, M.D., Ph.D., James Scott, M.D., Ph.D., and John Witte, Ph.D.
About Omicia, Inc.
Omicia delivers genome analysis solutions for research, diagnostic and clinical applications. Our market-leading clinical bioinformatics 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 300 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, Acadia Woods, Bay City Capital, Buchanan Investments, Casdin Capital and Yuri Milner. For more information, visit www.omicia.com and follow us on Twitter @omicia.
