New Genomics Company to Unveil First Affordable DNA Sequencing System at Consumer Genetics Conference

Newswise — On Wednesday, June 2, a genome sequencing company will officially launch its new business and unique offering at the Consumer Genetics Conference in Boston at the Hynes Convention Center. This new company, GnuBio, has the first-ever system that can sequence the human genome for under $100, a magnitude less than what is currently available. Up until now, genetic testing has been out of reach for the average person, with prices ranging from $5,000 to $48,000. Barriers such as high testing costs and lack of adequate insurance reimbursement have prevented genetic testing from becoming routine practice. The advent of this new technology will enable sequencing of the human genome to be offered at an affordable price that is expected to drive personalized medicine, diagnostics, and consumer genetics into the mainstream and make it more common in medical practice. An affordable sequencing system is a much anticipated development in the field of consumer genetics. It will allow greater consumer access to tests and also provide researchers with advanced technological and cost-effective resources. GnuBIO’s sequencing platform will be applicable to multiple fields of genetics research, including oncology. Cancer research has been constrained by the fact that when analyzing heterogeneous samples such as tumors, researchers have a limited amount of DNA sequencing capacity and budget. GnuBIO’s technology will allow scientists to conduct cancer research in innovative ways by enabling the complete analysis of entire tumor genomes; sequencing the tumor to discover the rare variants within the tumor, that have been traditionally very hard to identify. David Weitz, Professor of Physics and Engineering at Harvard University, National Academy of Sciences member, and co-founder of this new company will discuss this new technology during the “Next-Gen Sequencing Spotlight: Technology Presentations and Roundtable Discussion” on June 2 at 4:00 PM EST during the Consumer Genetics Conference. Details on this company’s unique offering and its deployment will be provided at this presentation. Dr. Weitz will be available immediately following to discuss this technology and its benefits. Media are invited to attend this session and speak with Dr. Weitz immediately following his presentation, or to contact Lynn Blenkhorn in advance to arrange a background meeting or an interview. The Consumer Genetics Conference will convene preeminent experts from government, medical, biotechnology, legal and diagnostic fields from June 2 – 4, at the Hynes Convention Center, to discuss policies, challenges, and advancements in the burgeoning field of direct-to-consumer genetics. With genetic tests becoming more mainstream, this forum will allow for an open and productive exchange on best practices and policies, and the field’s impact on patient care and the future of personalized medicine. Media are invited to attend this conference and enjoy the more intimate and interactive environment that this conference affords. Press registration is free. To register, please email your name, media outlet/affiliation or freelance status, as well as contact information (email and phone) to: Lynn Blenkhorn at [email protected]. Alternatively, press registration can be completed at the consumer genetics website (www.consumergeneticsconference.com) under the heading Press. If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Blenkhorn at [email protected] or 508-851-0930. DETAILS: What:GnuBio to officially launch at Consumer Genetic Conference and will unveil sequencing technology When:June 2 at 4:00 PM EST