The accreditation granted to the Health 2030 Genome Center is unique among Swiss public institutions in its broad focus on methods appropriate for a wide range of diseases rather than one or a few specific diseases.
Geneva, 11 May 2021. The Health 2030 Genome Center announced today that it had received ISO 15189:2013 certification for medical laboratories from the Swiss Accreditation Society for its human whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and transcriptome RNA sequencing assays. This certification allows the Genome Center to perform these assays on nucleic acid samples provided by hospitals, clinics, research institutions, and research organizations.
The accreditation covers DNA and RNA library preparation and sequencing. The resulting data can be used to identify genomic sequence variants and alterations in gene expression at the RNA level.
According to Genome Center Director Manolis Dermitzakis, Professor at the University of Geneva, “A unique feature of our accreditation is that, rather than focusing on one or a few narrowly defined disease phenotypes, it covers a range of sequencing-based DNA and RNA analysis methods, the data from which can be used for a very wide range of clinical diagnoses. Furthermore, all of the data we generate with these assays are clinical-grade, even for samples from clinical research projects. This means that, when appropriate, the data from research projects can be used to inform clinical decisions.”
EPFL Professor Didier Trono, Chairman of the Health 2030 Genome Center Strategic Committee, added, “This is a major achievement, considering that no other platform of the kind is accredited in such a broad way in Switzerland. Advanced genomics represents an essential pillar of precision medicine, nothing less than what the Swiss population is entitled to.”
The Health 2030 Genome Center, the genomic medicine arm of the Health 2030 Initiative, is a multi-institutional center established to promote genomic medicine in Switzerland. The partner institutions are the Universities (UNIBE, UNIGE, UNIL) and University Hospitals of Bern, Geneva, and Lausanne (InselSpital, HUG, CHUV) and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The Genome Center was conceived as a hub for genetics and genomics research to foster collaboration, increase communication, and encourage sharing ideas, allowing for the long-term development of major initiatives. More broadly, the Genome Center aims to advance knowledge of disease pathogenesis, improving human health through preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches, thereby realizing the social and economic benefits of genomics.
Olivier Menzel, Ph.D., MBA
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Health 2030 Genome Center
Fondation Campus Biotech Geneva
9, Chemin des Mines
CH-1202 Geneva - Switzerland
+41 58 201 02 42
olivier.menzel@health2030.ch
https://www.health2030.ch/genome
News
Research Team