DoH-owned company to use specialist software as part of effort to include genomics in healthcare
Genomics England has appointed medical big data specialist NantHealth to support its efforts to incorporate genomic medicine into NHS healthcare.
The organisation has contracted the company to deliver the clinical interpretation and reporting of sequenced genomes as part of the 100K Genomes Project.
NantHealth said it will use its NantOmics software to analyse raw data from the sequenced genomes of consenting patients to provide reports. The information can be displayed from a whole genome level – which can confirm genetic factors that make a patient’s disease unique – to the single base level.
Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and chief executive officer of NantHealth, said: “We look forward to building a learning system with Genomics England that will pave the way for true genomic medicine to be delivered as part of everyday clinical practice accessible by all NHS trusts.”
The genome is the genetic material of an organism that includes genes and sequences of DNA. Research in the area could help to provide an understanding of genetics in health and diseases.
Genomics England is owned by the Department of Health, and its flagship project is aimed to sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients by 2017. It plans to match the resulting dataset with clinical data to provide insights in medical research.
