Luohu District will launch a public genome sequencing project, the first in China, following an agreement signed with Geisinger Health System in the United States.
According to the strategic cooperation agreement signed by Luohu Hospital Group, Geisinger Health System and Shenzhen Direct Genomics in Danville, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, the two Shenzhen institutions will jointly introduce Geisinger’s experiences with the MyCode project to start the public genome sequencing project in Luohu.
Geisinger’s MyCode Community Health Initiative, a large-scale genomics biobank, has completed the genome sequencing for more than 100,000 people since 2015.
MyCode uses DNA from a patient’s blood to sequence their genes. That information is then part of a large-scale research project. Patients whose information indicates a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer or heart disease, for example, are eventually notified, which then also may change how their children and grandchildren are treated.
Under the project, medical interventions have been given to more than 2,000 Americans who have been found to carry defective genes.
The three parties will jointly launch a genome sequencing/biobank project in Luohu. Luohu Hospital Group will take advantage of Geisinger’s expertise and Direct Genomics’ equipment to conduct genome sequencing on Luohu participants.
Luohu-based Direct Genomics is said to be the first company to have produced third-generation genome sequencers in China.
(SD News)