Congenica Earns Major Role in Supporting World’s First Routine National Genomic Medicine Service
October 17 2018 - 3:56AM
Business Wire
- Genomics England names Congenica as its
Clinical Decision Support Service partner for the delivery of the
NHS Genomic Medicine Service
Congenica has been awarded a multi-year contract by Genomics
England, to be a provider of Diagnostic Decision Support Services
for them to deliver for the world leading NHS Genomic Medicine
Service.
Genomics England carried out a rigorous evaluation of all the
leading providers of diagnostic decision support solutions for
genomics from across the globe, during a formal competitive tender
process. Features including usability, clinical accuracy, case
throughput and commercial value were all tested and Congenica’s
platform SapientiaTM emerged as the clear leader.
Professor John Mattick, Chief Executive of Genomics
England, commented: “By working with Congenica from the start
of the 100,000 Genomes Project, we’ve been able to provide high
quality variant interpretation of genome sequences to the NHS,
helping deliver benefits to patients at scale. Now that we are
embarking on the next exciting step in our journey to embed genomic
medicine in healthcare, Congenica will continue to play an
important role with Genomics England in delivering results to
clinicians and diagnoses to patients.”
The NHS is establishing the national Genomic Medicine Service
inclusive of a network of Genomic Laboratory Hubs around the
country serving patients with a wide variety of needs. Initially,
patients who suffer with rare and inherited diseases and cancer
will be able to access genomic testing - an area of focus for the
SapientiaTM platform. The service began mobilising in October 2018
and will continue to provide valuable clinical information to
100,000s of patients.
Congenica’s CEO, Dr David Atkins said: “Genomics England
and the NHS have done extraordinary work in building the
foundations for the Genomic Medicine Service. We feel privileged to
continue to be part of this initiative and to be a contributor to
the world’s first service of this kind. While we have many other
customers who have subjected us to rigorous evaluation, we are
particularly proud to have beaten a very competitive field in this
competition.”
SapientiaTM, has already been extensively validated on
approximately 10,000 genomes during the 100,000 Genomes Project.
During this time, Congenica’s clinical scientists used SapientiaTM
for clinical analysis and genomic interrogation, to generate
comprehensive, actionable clinical reports.
Genomics England was established by the UK Department of Health
and Social Care to deliver the 100,000 Genomes Project, which is
expected to complete before the end of 2018. The learnings from
this project have enabled the NHS to advance a service which
transforms the way that people are cared for in the UK, bringing
genomics to the clinic and improving the quality and efficiency of
the healthcare system.
Dr Andy Richards, Congenica’s Chairman, said: “The UK has
always been at the forefront of genomic medicine and the launch of
the new NHS service further demonstrates this. The experience that
Congenica has gained in working alongside the NHS and Genomics
England to achieve this, puts us in a strong position to
expand globally and integrate genomics effectively into other
international healthcare systems.”
- Ends –
Note:
Congenica will be exhibiting at its booth (#827) during the
American Society of Human Genetics conference, to be held in San
Diego from October 16-20.
Other activities include an Exhibitor Education Event “The
Importance of an Early Diagnosis in Rare Disease” featuring
speakers from Genomics England and the 100,000 Genomes Project
(Wednesday 17th October, 12:30-13:45, Room 28C), and a poster
presentation by Dr Andrea Haworth PhD. on “Whole Exome Sequencing
Expedites the Diagnosis of Prenatal Phenotypes (using
SapientiaTM).
About Congenica
Congenica is the provider of the diagnostic decision support
platform, Sapientia, and associated clinical services, which enable
clinicians to interrogate the human genome to identify
disease-causing variants.
80% of rare diseases are thought to have a genetic component,
and patients wait an average of 4.7 years, and typically see 7.4
different clinical specialists, before getting a diagnosis.
Sapientia enables clinicians to progress through workflows more
quickly, optimizing throughput of patients, number of patients
diagnosed and reducing costs.
Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and with a footprint in the US
and China, Congenica is born out of pioneering research from the
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the NHS. Congenica is a partner
for the pivotal Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project.
For more information please visit us at www.congenica.com and
follow us on Twitter at @Congenica and on LinkedIn
About Genomics England
Genomics England is a UK Department of Health and Social Care
owned company, that was set up to deliver the 100,000 Genomes
Project. The Project is the largest of its kind in the world, and
aims to sequence 100,000 genomes from around 70,000 people with
rare disease and cancer. Combining this with their health data will
enable more diagnoses and improved personalised treatments for
patients in the future.
For more information visit www.genomicsengland.co.uk and follow
on Twitter at @GenomicsEngland
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For media enquiries:Instinctif Partners (for
Congenica)Sue Charles / Tim WatsonTel: +44 (0)20 7866
7861Email: congenica@instinctif.comorGenomics EnglandLisa
DinhTel: +44 (0)20 7882 6492 / 07903 618 478Email:
lisa.dinh@genomicsengland.co.uk