NEW YORK – Allelica, a leading genomics software company that develops digital tools to develop, validate and calculate PRS for common diseases, announced that Illumina, a leading developer and manufacturer of life-science tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation, is licensing Allelica’s software to provide its customers with cutting-edge polygenic risk score (PRS) capabilities.
The market for PRS analysis is growing at an increasingly accelerated rate thanks to recent advances in genomic research and PRS clinical validation, but the tools for impactful research and development are limited. Through Allelica’s platform for the development of powerful, publication-ready PRS, Illumina is providing all the genetics labs it serves with PRS capabilities previously reserved for laboratories with dedicated divisions and years of PRS experience.
Allelica’s unique genomic software tools enable robust PRS research and clinical applications, dramatically accelerating a process that otherwise requires months of complex labor by a team of bioinformaticians. Allelica’s platform streamlines the entire polygenic risk scoring process: genotype imputation, PRS development and validation in multiple ancestries for a range of diseases, and detailed reporting services.
The licensing agreement announced today enables Illumina to offer Allelica’s PRS technology to its broad customer base, equipping researchers with tools to better identify individuals with a high genetic susceptibility for developing life-threatening diseases. The collaboration also includes co-development of an Infinium Genotyping Array that includes expertly selected content specific for polygenic risk score predictions.
“The research performed by Illumina’s customers using our technology will enable tomorrow’s preventive healthcare and reduce the burden of common disease at scale. This alliance is an important first link in a chain of life-saving work,” said Giordano Bottà, PhD, CEO of Allelica. “Our work with Illumina is vital in helping us strive towards our vision of reducing human suffering caused by common diseases through the power of genomic medicine.”
“Integrating the first PRS module into the Illumina Connected Analytics platform will help empower researchers to mature the field of polygenic risk score utility and help transform the way we think about human health,” said Ashley Van Zeeland, head of Illumina Open Innovation. “We are excited to extend these enriched analysis capabilities to our customers.”
What is a Polygenic Risk Score (PRS)?
A PRS is a measurement of a person’s risk of disease based on their genes and is calculated by combining the effects of many genetic variants across the genome. This information can be used to stratify individuals based on their risk of disease. By combining PRS with conventional risk factors, Allelica aims to make precision medicine available at scale.