"Illumina’s vision of a future where healthcare is made more precise through the use of genetic information, together with our position as a sequencing technology leader, puts us in an ideal position to stimulate interest in a mainstream tool for genomic exploration," said Jay Flatley, Illumina’s President and CEO. "The MyGenome app is an exciting educational tool that enables consumers to learn how much we already understand about variation in the human genome, served up in a graphically accessible format. This first version of the app provides a glimpse of what we think could become a clinical tool for use by physicians with their patients to improve understanding and communication of genetic data.”
Key features of the MyGenome app include:
•Genome Map - for touring the landscape of chromosomes and visualizing how genetic variants in different locations translate into health impacts or biological traits. Users can view individual genes, their locations, and biological impacts, as well as visualize where and how genome sequences differ from the “reference” human genome. Illumina’s Flatley donated his genome as the first example of a consumer genome that is compared to the reference genome for educational purposes.
•Health Cards - for exploring genetically determined conditions and predispositions, and carrier traits. Users can discover how different genetic variants can contribute to health risks and can be passed on to children, as well as find out how changes in the genome may affect drug response.
•Reports - for investigating the possible health impacts of genetic variants for more than 250 conditions. These reports illustrate how genetic information will likely be delivered in the future and used by medical professionals to interpret and understand the human genome.
As new genomic discoveries occur, or as more becomes known about existing conditions, updates to the application will contain and “flag” those new pieces of information – making the MyGenome app an ever-evolving tool.
Future versions of the MyGenome app also will enable the download of consumer data in a secure fashion. Specifically, as part of its Individual Genome Sequencing (IGS) service in the CLIA-certified laboratory, Illumina plans to deliver genetic data to the ordering physician via the MyGenome app. The physician will access a consumer’s genomic information from the app, allowing them to visualize the genome and interrogate it for issues such as Mendelian disorders and pharmacogenomic drug response, before providing direct access to the consumer.
Further, at Illumina’s Understand Your Genome event in October, invitees from the healthcare industry will have the opportunity to view their own genetic information using the MyGenome app, after being sequenced through the IGS service with an order from their physician. Illumina will use feedback from consumers as well as these healthcare industry participants to further guide the tool’s evolution.
For more information about Illumina’s Individual Genome Sequencing Service, please visit www.everygenome.com.
About Illumina
Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and function. We provide innovative sequencing and array-based solutions for genotyping, copy number variation analysis, methylation studies, gene expression profiling, and low-multiplex analysis of DNA, RNA, and protein. We also provide tools and services that are fueling advances in consumer genomics and diagnostics. Our technology and products accelerate genetic analysis research and its application, paving the way for molecular medicine and ultimately transforming healthcare.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We do not intend to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this release.
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