DNAnexus Announces Strategic Alliances to Drive the Advancement of DNA-Based Medicine
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As part of these relationships, key laboratories within GHS and UCSF will leverage DNAnexus' cloud-based software platform to upload, store and analyze DNA sequencing data. In conjunction with the Geisinger Clinical Program for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), GHS will have access to DNAnexus' genomic data management capabilities including visualization, analysis and storage. The healthcare organization, in turn, will provide strategic counsel around the use of WGS data in clinical settings, and the extension of DNAnexus' capabilities to further support such use.
"At Geisinger, providing the best personalized healthcare has always been our mission, and key to that is the ability to collect and manage valuable medical information like electronic health records, blood samples and DNA sequencing data," said Dr. David Ledbetter, chief scientific officer, Geisinger Health System. "As whole genome sequencing becomes more affordable and accessible, we are eager to work with DNAnexus to find ways to manage this critical data asset and better leverage it within the clinical workflow."
"In the past few years, the pace of development in DNA sequencing technology has been astounding, doubling in capacity even faster than the classic Moore's law of computing," said David J. Erle, MD, UCSF professor of medicine and director of the Functional Genomics Core Facility in the UCSF Sandler Center for Basic Research in Asthma. "That has a huge impact on our ability to understand both health and disease, but it also poses a formidable challenge. In many cases, scientists are now limited more by their ability to store and analyze the data than they are by their ability to generate it."
These new strategic agreements further DNAnexus' goal of delivering the definitive big data system for DNA to both the commercial and academic communities. A cloud-based solution, DNAnexus provides instant online genomics data centers for sequencing operations, research organizations, and clinical applications of virtually any size without any required hardware investment on the part of the customer. Founded in 2009, DNAnexus is supported by leading investors including Google Ventures and TPG Biotech.
"We are at the beginning of a genomics-driven revolution in healthcare, and DNAnexus is focused on providing a unified technology platform that makes managing, storing, and analyzing sequencing data easier for everyone," said Andreas Sundquist, PhD co-founder and CEO of DNAnexus. "By partnering with highly respected healthcare and research institutions like Geisinger and UCSF, we will be able to learn from clinical experts and build an even more innovative solution that will enable research, medical and biotech communities to unlock the full potential of DNA data."
