ICON plc was recently selected by Genomics England to support their “100,000 Genomes” project, the world’s largest genome sequencing project for cancer and rare diseases, which could revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers and rare diseases.
Announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012, the project will compile 100,000 whole genomes from 70,000 individual National Health Service (N.H.S.) patients and their families. This data, once sequenced and de-identified, will become available to approved researchers who will assist in developing tools for diagnosis and treatment based on individual patients’ genetic characteristics. It is currently the largest project of its kind worldwide.
ICON, a company that offers drug development solutions to the medical industries, is headquartered in Dublin and will use its substantial data management capabilities to support and organize the clinical data collected from the 70,000 patients and their families.
“Our partnership with Genomics England demonstrates our commitment to partnering with industry and government organizations in new and innovative ways to improve patient care by accelerating the development of targeted and personalized medicines that tackle complex diseases,” said Professor Brendan Buckley, ICON’s Chief Medical Officer (left).
Managing Director for the 100,000 Genomes project, James Peach, was equally enthusiastic about the partnership. “We are delighted to be partnering with ICON,” he said.
“Their renowned expertise in data management will be fundamental in driving scientific research and accelerating the return of results for N.H.S. patients.” ♦
ICON Joins Groundbreaking Genome Initiative
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