MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Personalis, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSNL), a leader in advanced genomics for population sequencing and cancer, today announced its completion of the 75,000th whole human genome sequenced under its contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program (VA MVP). All genomes were sequenced in the company’s laboratory in Menlo Park, California. With over 825,000 veterans enrolled to date and a recently increased target of two million enrollees, the VA MVP is the largest population sequencing program in the U.S. today.
Personalis was first contracted by the VA MVP to provide DNA sequencing and data analysis services in 2012. Since then, Personalis has invested in technology and infrastructure to expand its high-volume capabilities and has developed sophisticated data systems for sample tracking and processing, and for managing large amounts of genetic data. With this investment, over 50,000 genomes have been sequenced in the last 12 months.
Personalis CEO John West said, “We are proud of our continuing relationship with the VA MVP and admire their leadership on behalf of veterans. Since we completed our 60,000th genome in Q1, Personalis has been subject to COVID-19 operating restrictions, but with our advanced automation, combined with careful and dedicated work by our staff, we have been able to continue making progress for both the VA MVP and our biopharma customers. Given the current number of VA MVP samples already in-house, we expect that by end of this calendar year, Personalis could be the first company of its kind to complete the sequencing of 100,000 human genomes in the U.S. Additionally, our VA MVP business is well aligned with our oncology business: efficient high-quality processing of tens of thousands of samples is important to both.”
About the VA Million Veteran Program
Launched in 2011, the VA MVP is a landmark research effort designed to improve understanding of how genetic variations affect health. Data and genetic samples collected through the program are stored securely and made available for studies by authorized researchers, with stringent safeguards in place to protect Veterans’ private health information. The VA MVP is now one of the largest research cohorts of its kind in the world.
The VA MVP provides researchers with a rich resource of genetic, health, lifestyle, and military-exposure data collected from questionnaires, medical records, and genetic analyses. By combining this information into a single database, the VA MVP promises to advance knowledge about the complex links between genes and health.
Veterans’ privacy and confidentiality are top priorities in the VA MVP, as in all VA research. For more information about the VA MVP, visit www.research.va.gov/MVP. This press release does not imply a Department of Veterans Affairs endorsement, and is neither paid for nor sponsored, in whole or in part, by any element of the United States government.
About Personalis, Inc.
Personalis, Inc. is a growing population sequencing and cancer genomics company, with a continuing focus on scale, efficiency and quality. In oncology, Personalis is transforming the development of next-generation therapies by providing more comprehensive molecular data about each patient’s cancer and immune response. The company’s ImmunoID NeXT Platform® is designed to adapt to the complex and evolving understanding of cancer, providing its biopharmaceutical customers with information on all of the approximately 20,000 human genes, together with the immune system, from a single tissue sample. The Personalis® Clinical Laboratory is GxP aligned as well as CLIA’88-certified and CAP-accredited. For more information, please visit www.personalis.com and follow Personalis on Twitter (@PersonalisInc).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains or may imply "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts, including, for example, statements regarding: the timing and quantity of samples received from the VA MVP; the enrollment of veterans in the VA MVP study, and ongoing demand of the VA MVP for Personalis’ services; developments in whole genome cancer sequencing; the future availability, features or potential uses of the ImmunoID NeXT Platform; and other future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those related to market adoption of our services, our expectations regarding future performance, and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in Personalis’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s most recently filed periodic reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and subsequent filings and in the documents incorporated by reference therein, all of which may significantly impact our business and operations, the business and operations of our customers, our ability to access capital and the value of our common stock. Except as otherwise required by law, Personalis disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.
