Claritas Partners With Life Tech, Lockheed To Sequence Military Veteran Exomes

As part of a project that reportedly is one of the largest sequencing initiatives ever undertaken in the U.S, the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded Claritas Genomics a $9 million contract toward the exome sequencing of veteran samples including those from the Million Veteran Program (MVP) over the next 12 months.

For this project, Claritas Genomics, a genetic testing company spun out of Boston Children's Hospital earlier this year that primarily focuses on pediatric medicine, is receiving support from Life Technologies and its Ion Proton™ sequencing technology; Alvarez and Associates, which is providing technical support; and Lockheed Martin, which will be applying data security knowledge to help manage all the data that will be generated during the sequencing process.

MVP, a research program launched in 2011, is combining genetic, health, lifestyle, and military-exposure data collected from questionnaires, medical records, and genetic analyses all into a single database. MVP has more than 210,000 enrollees to date, and it is hoped that up to a million veterans in the VA study will enroll over the next five to six years. 

"As a U.S. military veteran, I am proud of the fact that my company is able to serve those individuals who were/are willing to sacrifice all in service to our country," said Everett Alvarez, Jr., CEO at Alvarez & Associates, in a statement. "I feel that this effort will greatly improve our ability to understand and better assist those veterans in need as well as the future generations of veterans."

This article was reprinted from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) with permission from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) has retained its position as the number one biotech publisher around the globe since its launch in 1981. GEN publishes a print edition 21 times a year and has additional exclusive editorial content online, like news and analysis as well as blogs, podcasts, webinars, polls, videos, and application notes. GEN's unique news and technology focus includes the entire bioproduct life cycle from early-stage R&D, to applied research including omics, biomarkers, as well as diagnostics, to bioprocessing and commercialization.