Allelica, Inc., a leading provider of software tools for polygenic risk scores (PRS), announced a collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, to utilize Allelica’s bioinformatics software with Thermo Fisher’s Axiom™ Human Genotyping Microarrays to provide end-to-end solutions for genomics research customers.
The genetic research and medical communities are gaining interest in PRS for disease risk prediction of common diseases and clinical trial patient stratification. PRS quantifies the total risk of specific diseases based on common variants in a patient’s genome and is then used to categorize groups of subjects or research participants based on their risk levels. This information can help make well-informed decisions and improve outcomes. Allelica offers a wide selection of PRS validated in multiple ancestries, allowing implementation in diverse populations.
While PRS has traditionally required extensive bioinformatics resources and investment, through Allelica’s collaboration with Thermo Fisher, clinical researchers now have access to off-the-shelf workflows including everything needed to create and implement PRS, from sample prep and microarrays to risk interpretation reports.
“Providing PRS tools to deliver disease risk profiles will enable significant advances in precision medicine, including development of personalized treatment strategies for patients,” said Giordano Bottà, chief executive officer and co-founder of Allelica. “By collaborating with Thermo Fisher, a leader in predictive genomics, to streamline data analysis, we can also help researchers spend more time on research which will ultimately improve disease outcomes in the future.”
Allelica’s software for new PRS development, available on the cloud or on-premises, runs a series of PRS algorithms simultaneously to identify the most predictive model in diverse populations. It also allows researchers to validate a PRS on an independent, ancestry-diverse dataset to help understand clinical applicability.
“Microarrays are a trusted and cost-effective solution for genomic research, and Thermo Fisher is continuously innovating to deliver improved workflow solutions as reflected in our recent launch of the Axiom™ PangenomiX Array to provide the most comprehensive population coverage on a high-throughput array to date,” said Kevin Lowitz, vice president and general manager, microarray, Thermo Fisher. “By integrating Allelica’s software with our microarray platform, we can help solve a pain point for researchers so they can focus on translating genetic insights into impactful actions.”
