St Luke’s University Health Network has collaborated with Helix on a population genomics research programme which aims to enrol 100,000 participants from Pennsylvania and New Jersey initially.

Expected to extend over the next four years, the programme will provide valuable insights about precision medicine.

Upon confirmation of participant’s consent, Helix will apply its end-to-end genomics platform and unique Sequence Once, Query Often model to run genomic tests without the need for collection of an additional sample.

Participants will receive important health information about their potential risks for serious health conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

This helps them consult with their healthcare provider to prevent or delay these conditions from occurring in future.

Hereditary conditions including familial hypercholesterolemia, Lynch syndrome and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) often go unrecognised.

Participants who receive genetic testing results can also follow up with their choice of health system or provider.

Helix CEO and co-founder Dr James Lu said: “Our partnership with St Luke’s gives providers and patients access to vital genetic information that can impact not only their lives but their entire families, for generations to come.

“We’re delighted to partner with St Luke’s and other leading health systems deploying genomics at scale across the US.”

HealthPartners, the Medical University of South Carolina, Memorial Hermann and WellSpan Health are Helix’s group of partner health systems participating in the research.