Nucleus Genomics, a next-generation genetic testing and analysis company, launched a DNA analysis product aimed at expanding access to the benefits of personalized medicine.
Nucleus Genomics’ Testing for Genetic Risk
Customers who’ve previously done microarray genetic testing with older testing companies can upload their DNA data onto Nucleus’ platform to receive greater insights into their genetic risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and many more. Nucleus further personalizes these risk assessments by integrating personal and lifestyle factors into their analysis—such as age, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and BMI.
Whole-Genome Sequencing Service
Nucleus will also offer pre-orders for its premium clinical-grade whole-genome sequencing (WGS) service, in which a customer’s entire set of DNA will be read and analyzed. These more comprehensive WGS results will start to become available in the summer. With a yearly membership, members will receive access to new features on Nucleus’ platform, as well as new disease reports and, eventually, reports for traits like height and muscle strength.
“Nucleus is combining the power of whole-genome sequencing with our innovative genomic analyses—ushering in a new era of personalized medicine to the public,” says founder and CEO Kian Sadeghi. “DNA insights will become a commonplace tool that everyone uses to make important decisions about their health and lifestyle.”
Nucleus sequences all customer samples in the U.S. on Illumina’s NovaSeq X Plus, the sequencing company’s newest and most innovative high-throughput sequencing instrument. Working with Illumina, Nucleus is leveraging this latest sequencing technology to make WGS broadly accessible to power personalized healthcare.
CLIA Certified and CAP Accredited
Nucleus has also been awarded CLIA certification and CAP accreditation for its WGS informatics laboratory in North Carolina. This helps ensure customer whole-genome sequencing results are the highest, clinical-grade quality, the company says. The company also offers its WGS members access to SteadyMD, an independent network of doctors and board-certified genetic counselors who can help customers better understand the implications of their WGS results, for themselves and their families.
The company—which raised a total of $18 million in seed funding in 2022 from venture capital firms such as Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund—aims to use the power of genomics to help people live longer and healthier by providing insights into the genetics underpinning their health and well-being.
Nucleus’ Polygenic Risk Scores
Nucleus will provide polygenic risk scores (PRS), a kind of analysis that calculates the combined impact of common DNA variants on a person’s disease risks and trait dispositions. The analysis also integrates an individual’s environmental and lifestyle information for a more comprehensive picture of their overall or absolute risk for complex, common diseases. As people change over their lifetimes and as new scientific discoveries are made, Nucleus members’ disease risk scores will automatically update. By adding WGS to the analysis, Nucleus can also identify rare, high-impact variants. These variants exist across both common and rare disorders, like those found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that significantly increase the risk for breast and other cancers.
“Nucleus is the all-in-one genetic test,” says Sadeghi. “The promise of the Human Genome Project has finally arrived.”
