How about 2 million? DNAnexus joins AstraZeneca’s new genomics initiative – MedCity News

In October 2013, DNAnexus and Baylor College of Medicine announced an ambitious ultra large-scalecollaboration to sequence and interpret3,751 whole genomes and 10,771 exomes. Some thought it was an impossible task.

Fast forward less than four years and DNAnexus is partnering on a new project with AstraZeneca to analyze two million genomes, with phenotypic data to boot.

The thing thats difficult to grasp from the outside is the velocity of knowledge gain in genomics. It is just amazing, marveled Richard Daly, CEO of DNAnexus. What people were doing two years ago is completely obsolete. And the tools they were using two years ago are obsolete.

Based in Mountain View, California, DNAnexus offers secure cloud-based platforms for research institutes, industry partners,andeven the U.S. government to massively increase their computing power. This, in turn, allows scientists to manage, access, and analyze sequencing data while collaborating with other groups around the world.

DNAnexus platform has scaled alongside the major genomics projects. But its not justthe volume of genomes sequenced that has risen dramatically over time. Daly noted by phone that the breadth of data being collected has also grown, as shown in AstraZenecas new undertaking.

The U.K.-based pharma companylaunched the initiative as well as an in-house Centre for Genomics Research in April 2016. Its aimis to build a bespoke database of genomic sequences using samples donated by patients in its global clinical trials. AstraZeneca has data from 500,000 participants amassed over the past 15 years and will add to that during the course of the 10-year study.

Importantly, the samples will also be matched with clinical notes and drug response data, meticulously collected through the course of its clinical trials. Merging genomic and phenotypic information is increasingly seen as the key to break into new layers of genomic complexity.

Even the basic sequencing techniques have advanced, Daly explained. Bioinformaticians have historically used reference genomes to do their base calling. In other words, genomes were interpreted in relation to a standard genome. Scientists soon realized that this approach was heavily biased in terms of ethnic diversity and error prone. Nowadays, scientists can draw on public databases of hundreds of thousands of genomes when they interpret the new results theyve obtained. Its another huge advance, which again requires huge technology gains.

As with Baylors 15,000-gemome project in 2013, AstraZenecas new initiative feels like a giant undertaking. But it will have help. Along with DNAnexus, collaborations withHuman Longevity, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland have also been announced.

Who knows where well be in ten years when this project wraps up.

Photo: farakos, Getty Images

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How about 2 million? DNAnexus joins AstraZeneca's new genomics initiative - MedCity News