Press release
The Alliance for Genomic Discovery welcomes Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, and Novo Nordisk
AGD delivered ~86,000 whole genomes in 2023, including a unique diverse ancestry cohort Expanded pharma engagement enhances AGD's ability to develop multiomic
About this update from Illumina, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"AGD delivered ~86,000 whole genomes in 2023, including a unique diverse ancestry cohort\nExpanded pharma engagement enhances AGD's ability to develop multiomic datasets \nSAN DIEGO, Jan. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, in collaboration with Nashville Biosciences, LLC (NashBio), a leading clinical and genomic data company and wholly owned subsidiary of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), today announced three new members of the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (AGD).\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \nBristol Myers Squibb (BMS), GSK and Novo Nordisk join founding member organizations AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Merck. Together the pharma members will co-fund the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 250,000 DNA samples and have access to the resulting data for use in drug discovery and therapeutic development.\n\"Together with NashBio and the now eight member organizations in the Alliance for Genomic Discovery, we will generate and analyze more genomic, multimodal phenotypic, and multiomic data in a turnkey manner,\" said Joydeep Goswami, chief financial officer and chief strategy and corporate development officer of Illumina. \"This rich dataset will enable the discovery of highly actionable therapeutic targets and improve the speed, probability of success, and efficiency of the discovery and development process.\"\nIn 2023, AGD completed whole-genome sequencing of approximately 86,000 of the planned 250,000 DNA samples from VUMC's BioVU® biobank, including the initial diverse ancestry cohort of 35,000 individuals primarily of African ancestry. The AGD members are applying innovative, large-scale analysis tools to the WGS data to help identify disease associations and drug targets for intervention.\n\"We are thrilled to welcome these latest members to AGD and to work with all of these organizations to advance the study of the genome and improve human health,\" said Leeland Ekstrom, PhD, chief executive officer of NashBio. \"With this initial phase of the alliance now well underway, we are excited to explore possible future additions of other multiomic data that will expand this incredible resource.\"\nUse of forward-looking statements\nThis release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the expec...