GenomeAsia 100K, a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing genomic data for Asian populations for genetic research and discovery, recently announced its plan to sequence 100,000 genomes. Initially, the project will study genomic data of 12 South Asian countries and a minimum of 7 North and East Asian countries. The first phase of the initiative will focus on the creation of phased reference genomes for all major Asian ethnic groups, and will be combined with microbiome, clinical and phenotype information for analyzing the effect of inferred local ancestries on healthy and diseased genomes. The studies will enhance understandings of rare and inherited diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A main goal of the consortium is the advancement of precision medicine applications for patients. Companies supporting the initiative so far include Illumina, Macrogen and MedGenome. GenomeAsia 100K will be conducted by Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and is seeking further founding members and collaborators.

Source: Emerge Ventures