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Helix will subsidize the cost of Decoding People’s Genomes, creation of Consumer Apps to use same Genomic Data in Cloud Repository

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Flatley says that when Helix goes live next year it will sequence and store consumers’ DNA, then sell them pay-as-you-go access to it through the apps, which will be offered by partners, the first of which are LabCorp and the Mayo Clinic. Profits will get shared, in a model similar to the one for Apple’s app store. If Helix succeeds, it will operate the largest sequencing laboratory of any kind, Flatley predicts.

Everyone is trying to unlock the value of the genome, most of all Illumina (see“50 Smartest Companies 2014”). The San Diego-based company, whose sleek-looking sequencing machines are also said to be inspired by Apple’s designs, is the big winner so far. It dominates the market and last year sold $1.8 billion of DNA sequencing machines, chemicals, and tests. The more sequencing happens, the better for Illumina.

SOURCE

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/540711/inside-illuminas-plans-to-lure-consumers-with-an-app-store-for-genomes/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_source=newsletter-daily-all&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20150820