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Macrogen Consortium win tender for National Bio Big Data Project

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Macrogen Consortium win tender for National Bio Big Data Project
Business

Business

Macrogen Consortium win tender for National Bio Big Data Project

2024-12-23 08:00 Last Updated At:08:15

Illumina is proud to be selected as sequencing technology partner to the Macrogen Consortium.

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Macrogen a global healthcare company that specializes in precision medicine and Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced today that they are honoured to support the National Bio Big Data project by sequencing and analysing 145,952 Korean genomes.

The National Bio Big Data Project project has been running in Korea as a pilot project since 2020. During this period about 20,000 genomes were analysed, 10,000 of these including people with a rare disease. The ultimate goal is to enable precision medicine by building a reference genome for about 770,000 Koreans by 2028 and a total of 1 million by 2032.  

"Being a part of this step change to improving public health in Korea through the voluntary collection and analysis of genomic, clinical and life record information from the general public, is paramount to ensure precision medicine becomes a standard of care for all Koreans," said Changhoon Kim, CEO Macrogen.

"Illumina is pleased to be a part of the Korean bio industry ecosystem and to participate in such an important national project. We look forward to contributing to Korea by bringing our expertise and lessons learned from our direct involvement in leading pop gen projects around the world," said Robert McBride, General Manager of Illumina Korea.

People across the globe have very similar genes but a small number of variants between populations can impact health. For example, some variants are associated closely with particular diseases such as cystic fibrous.[1]These variants can present differently in populations and have a significant impact on how individuals respond to medicines and treatments. Therefore, it is beneficial for Koreans to have information available that is unique to them.

Worldwide, the number of pop gen projects is expanding rapidly, including the UK, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria.

"Population genome projects are growing worldwide with many programs reaching significant milestones. But despite this inequity remains with the majority of genome datasets being of European descent. This means we have a lot of information how to develop drugs for European populations but this doesn't translate in any meaningful way to other nationalities," said Robert McBride.

Population genomics provides a platform for industry engagement and investment, specifically in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and data sectors. By integrating large, diverse data sets and using advanced computing technology (such as artificial intelligence or machine learning), health systems and partners are optimally positioned to unlock the power of the genome even further, while improving quality of life and care and fostering economic growth.

"Precision medicine is changing how diseases are treated and this benefits everyone. For patients, treatments often work better when decisions are based around an individual's genome, for drug companies it can reduce cost of development and for governments there are long term savings related to less waste and healthier patients," said Changhoon Kim.

References

[1] https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/educational-resources/fact-sheets/human-genomic-variation#:~:text=How%20do%20peoples'%20genomes%20vary,person%20responds%20to%20certain%20medications.

About Macrogen

Macrogen is a global genetic service provider, partnered with over 18,000 scientists in 150+ countries, and with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Established in 1997, from the Genome Medical Research Institute of Seoul National University, Macrogen has become a major service provider and consulting agent for government agencies, universities and research institutes around the world.

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and connect with us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube

About the Consortium

Macrogen Consortium members include the following companies: DNA Link, Theragen Bio, and CG Invites

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Macrogen Consortium win tender for National Bio Big Data Project

Macrogen Consortium win tender for National Bio Big Data Project

JILIN, China, Dec. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 19, the Second World Ice and Snow Economy of Cold Regions Conference opened at BEIDAU SKI RESORT in Jilin City.

Hu Yuting first extended welcome on behalf of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government to the guests attending the event and expressed gratitude to friends from all walks of life who care about and support the revitalization and development of Jilin. He said that the ice and snow economy is an important engine for economic development in cold regions. This conference, with the theme of PROSPER THE ICE AND SNOW ECONOMY, JOIN HANDS FOR A WIN-WIN FUTURE, builds a new international exchange platform, innovates new carriers for industrial cooperation, and expands new scenarios for ice and snow consumption, which is of great significance for stimulating the vitality of the ice and snow economy in cold regions. With a high-quality product matrix, we promote leapfrog development of ice and snow tourism. With the unique advantages of powder snow, forest sea, rime, and hot springs and the brand matrix of Snow all over Changbai Mountain, and with an attitude of opening the door to welcome guests and treating guests from all directions, we warmly welcome domestic and foreign tourists. People at home and abroad are welcome to experience Jilin's ice and snow. We will provide warm-hearted services to make tourists come happily and return satisfied.

We are willing to share development opportunities with friends from all over the world. Focusing on fields such as refining ice and snow tourism, developing ice and snow equipment, promoting ice and snow consumption, prospering ice and snow culture, and popularizing ice and snow sports, we promote all parties to deepen cooperation, complement each other's advantages, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, and jointly explore new opportunities for the development of the ice and snow industry.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

The opening ceremony of the 2nd World Ice and Snow Economy of Cold Regions Conference

The opening ceremony of the 2nd World Ice and Snow Economy of Cold Regions Conference

The opening ceremony of the 2nd World Ice and Snow Economy of Cold Regions Conference

The opening ceremony of the 2nd World Ice and Snow Economy of Cold Regions Conference

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