Mount Sinai, Regeneron Launch Sequencing Project to Augment Genetics-Based Precision Medicine

Original from: Genomeweb

Mount Sinai Health System and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said on Friday that they have launched a new large-scale human genome sequencing research project with New York-based biotechnology company Regeneron. 

The program, named Mount Sinai Million Health Discoveries Program, aims to enroll 1 million Mount Sinai patients over a five-year period, offering researchers the dataset to assess the potential of genetics-based precision medicine as well as to generate new insights for potential new therapy discoveries and development. 

The collaboration will synergize Regeneron's gene sequencing capabilities and scientific research expertise through its Regeneron Genetics Center with Mount Sinai's large, diverse patient population and advanced electronic health records systems.

According to Mount Sinai, the program will be administered by its Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine and will be part of other initiatives within the Institute, including multimodal data science, deep phenotyping of patients with informative genetic variation, and last-mile experimental interventions to rigorously test new treatments before they are incorporated into clinical care.

Meanwhile, the Regeneron Genetics Center will perform exome sequencing and whole-genome genotyping-by-sequencing analysis on all DNA samples, as well as whole-genome sequencing on a large subset of samples. 

"Our ultimate hope is that we can use genetics to help all patients," Alexander Charney, associate professor of psychiatry and genetics and genomic sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai and project leader, said in a statement. 

Vibrent Health, a digital health solutions company that provides the technology platform for the National Institutes of Health's million-person All of Us Research Program, will provide the project with a privacy-preserving platform for e-consenting, data collection, and engagement for clinical research.

Source: Mount Sinai, Regeneron Launch Sequencing Project to Augment Genetics-Based Precision Medicine