![]() Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Helix has been working to combat the virus. The company employs about 100 at its San Diego lab and San Mateo headquarters. Investors include Warburg Pincus, the Mayo Clinic, Kleiner Perkins and Sutter Hill Ventures, among others. ![]() Helix works with large health systems to sequence DNA from thousands of patients so genomics can be considered in clinical care decisions. ![]() “This test will be based on next-generation sequencing, which is a massively scalable technology that we have years of experience with right here in San Diego.”įounded with $100 million investment from San Diego’s Illumina, a top maker of gene sequencing systems, Helix initially pursued consumer genomics - think DNA analysis for firms such as Ancestry.īut over the past 18 months or so, Helix has pivoted to population genomics, which is foundational to bringing genetics into medical care. “Later this summer we plan on launching a second COVID-19 test,” said Marc Stapley, chief executive of Helix. We are looking forward to being part of that effort.”Ĭountywide COVID-19 testing currently averages about 8,300 per day from all providers - local hospital labs, county and state facilities, and private labs such as Quest and LabCorp., which serve CVS Pharmacy and others. “They are talking about getting to 25,000 tests per day. “I am excited about that because it’s another thrust in the capability of volume testing,” said Nick Macchoine, director of the county’s health and human services agency. Perhaps more importantly, next-generation gene sequencing instruments at Helix’s lab can deliver results for tens of thousands of tests per day, a significant increase from the region’s current testing pace. It says the test is better at detecting the virus than the current molecular tests. The company has submitted a gene sequencing-based coronavirus test to federal regulators for approval. ![]() At the same time, however, Helix is working to bring genomics into the fight against coronavirus. ![]()
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