CariGenetics Partners with DNAnexus to Launch First Caribbean Collaborative Genomics Research Infrastructure with NVIDIA

The Trusted Research Environment will support secure data management, regional collaboration and advanced genomic analysis

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CariGenetics has established the Caribbean’s first Trusted Research Environment (TRE) to strengthen the secure management and analysis of genomic and associated health data generated through its research across the Caribbean. The goal of this collaboration is to address diversity in population studies, as more than 85% of the diverse global population is neither included in efficacy and safety testing of drugs nor adequately defined genomically. There is also an increasing demand for phenotype and genetic data for pharma to improve clinical trials efficiency, safety and development of effective drugs.

The environment is hosted by DNAnexus, the trusted global standard for omics data intelligence, whose technology also supports other landmark population health initiatives like the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform. Rather than being copied to individual researchers, data remains securely within the environment at all times with access governed by defined permissions and oversight requirements.

“Our mission is to empower the global life sciences community to analyze the most complex and sensitive data in the world to lead to more tailored treatments and tomorrow’s cures,” said Dr. Jeff Keller, EVP & GM of Health Systems & Biobanks at DNAnexus. “We’re proud to partner with CariGenetics and leverage NVIDIA accelerated computing for genomics to enable the Caribbean scientific community to collaboratively perform vital health research into the causes and mechanisms of disease.”

CariGenetics’ existing research data, which includes screening data for several cancer types such as breast and prostate cancer, have been consolidated within the environment, reducing the need to transfer or duplicate sensitive datasets across separate systems. The platform will support current research while creating a foundation for collaboration among Caribbean researchers, health institutions, governments and approved international partners.

Through the DNAnexus platform, CariGenetics will use NVIDIA Parabricks, a GPU-accelerated genomics software suite, to analyze genomic sequencing data and generate variant calls for downstream research into genetic variation across Caribbean populations. CariGenetics is also a member of NVIDIA Inception, a program that provides AI startups with developer training, technical resources and access to NVIDIA’s ecosystem.

The environment forms part of CariGenetics’ wider strategy to build regional capacity in genomics and precision health. Through its research programmes, partnerships and education initiatives, the organization is working to ensure that Caribbean countries can participate meaningfully in the generation, analysis and application of genomic evidence.

The initiative represents a shift from simply generating Caribbean genomic data to building the systems required to derive long term value from it.

“Our goal is not only to increase the amount of research conducted in the Caribbean, but to ensure that the region has the infrastructure, expertise and governance needed to direct how that research develops,” said Dr Weldon, CEO and Founder of CariGenetics. “DNAnexus and NVIDIA bring capabilities that can help us develop a secure and scalable model for Caribbean led genomic research.”

The TRE is now operational and open to access requests from researchers in academia and industry, currently housing consented data from 2000+ individuals generated through CariGenetics’ research activities. Future phases will focus on onboarding additional studies and expanding access for institutional partners. Apply here.

Its establishment represents an important step towards a regional research ecosystem in which Caribbean genomic data can be responsibly transformed into locally relevant evidence, health interventions and sustainable scientific innovation.

About DNAnexus

Founded in 2009, DNAnexus is the world's most trusted platform for omics data enablement, transforming the most complex data in healthcare into a governed, AI-ready, reusable asset. DNAnexus gives pharmaceutical, diagnostic, health system, biobank, and regulatory organizations a single platform to contextualize, orchestrate, and federate multimodal omics data, translating it into a source code for discovery. Today, DNAnexus is where the largest globally connected community of scientists synthesizes biological intelligence at unmatched industrial scale. More than 64,000 researchers across 54 countries and 130+ enterprise customers run production-grade and regulatory-grade omics work on DNAnexus, processing 135+ petabytes of genomic and multimodal data. Learn more at dnanexus.com.

About CariGenetics

CariGenetics is pioneering accessible, high-impact genomic research in the Caribbean, bringing precision medicine capabilities to the region for the first time. CariGenetics is committed to closing the gap in diverse global genetics and ensuring Caribbean populations are represented in biomedical research.