Genomics England Contracts with WuXi NextCODE as Clinical Interpretation Partner in both Rare Disease and Cancer

LONDON and SHANGHAI and CAMBRIDGE, Mass and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Nov. 12,  2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Genomics England has today announced that it has contracted with WuXi NextCODE as a Clinical Interpretation Partner for the 100,000 Genomes Project. The China, US and Iceland-based company is the first to work with them on cancer samples and will also interpret samples in rare disease. Genomics England will work with the clinical interpretation partners to drive up the quality of interpretation of genomic data. This will lead to better understanding of disease and more personalised care for patients in the future.

The Project aims to sequence 100,000 whole genomes from approximately 70,000 people. Participants are NHS patients with a rare disease plus their families, and patients with cancer. The aim is to create a new genomic medicine service for the NHS, leading to more personalised care for patients. Some patients with rare disease may get a diagnosis for the first time, or discover what treatment might work best for them.

WuXi NextCODE's unique database model and clinical and tumor-normal analysis and reporting systems will enable NHS clinicians to begin to efficiently analyse patient sequence data and identify causative variants in rare diseases and driver mutations in tumors.

Dr Augusto Rendon, Director of Bioinformatics at Genomics England said: "We are delighted to be working with WuXi NextCODE. Their sequence analysis platform will help us to return high quality variant interpretation results back to clinicians and make a direct impact on patient care."

Hannes Smarason, President and COO of WuXi NextCODE, a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec WX, said: "We are very pleased to be playing a central role in a project that is a driving force for precision medicine worldwide. We look forward to putting our technology to work for NHS patients through interpretation and by applying the knowledge gained to advance the development of targeted new therapies for cancer and a range of rare conditions."

About Genomics England
Genomics England is a company owned by the Department of Health and was set up to deliver the 100,000 Genomes Project.  This flagship project will sequence 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients and their families by 2017.

Genomics England has four main aims:

• to bring benefit to patients
• to create an ethical and transparent programme based on consent
• to enable new scientific discovery and medical insights
• to kickstart the development of a UK genomics industry

The project is focusing on patients with rare diseases, and their families, as well as patients with common cancers.

www.genomicsengland.co.uk 

About WuXi NextCODE 
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 interpretation 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. WuXi NextCODE is a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, the operating subsidiaries of WuXi PharmaTech WX. WuXi AppTec comprises a leading open-access R&D capability and technology platform company serving the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, with operations in China and the United States.

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SOURCE WuXi NextCODE