Carrier screening, also referred to as preconception genetic screening, helps individuals and reproductive partners understand their risk of passing along autosomal recessive and X-linked genetic conditions to their children. This method is being increasingly adopted as a preventive, population-level health intervention that specifically benefits couple’s or individuals in the family planning stage. With the rise of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), genetic… Read more »
Golden Helix’s VSClinical AMP guidelines platform, powered by our Golden Helix CancerKB has long been trusted by clinicians and researchers for generating report-ready clinical cancer biomarker interpretations. To further elevate the coverage and currency of our somatic variant evaluation capabilities, we’ve integrated Genomenon’s Cancer Knowledgebase (CKB) into both VarSeq and VSClinical AMP. This partnership represents a significant enhancement in somatic… Read more »
As precision oncology evolves, clinicians and laboratories need tools that can both handle massive genomic datasets and translate those findings into clear, clinically actionable guidance. In our recent webcast, “Simplifying Complex Cancer Data into Actionable Knowledge with Golden Helix CancerKB,” we walked through how Golden Helix CancerKB can take clinical somatic variant analysis to the next level within VSClinical AMP…. Read more »
As whole-genome sequencing becomes routine in clinical practice, variant interpretation remains both the opportunity and the obstacle. VarSeq users can efficiently process and report individual samples using extensive annotations and automated classification tools—but even the most comprehensive databases can leave gaps. Some variants simply aren’t found in ClinVar or ClinGen, leaving analysts without clear direction. This is where Genomenon’s Mastermind… Read more »
Every October, we prepare for spooky surprises — creaky doors, eerie whispers, and shadows that move when no one’s there. But in the world of genomics, at any given time and for any given analysis, there’s another kind of haunting that can appear: the ghost in the pipeline — the incidental finding. 👻 Specters in the Genome As you run… Read more »
Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are increasingly recognized as clinically important genetic variants, contributing to a wide range of rare inherited disorders. Historically, the analysis and clinical reporting of STRs have been challenging due to limitations in both sequencing technologies and interpretation frameworks. With the advent of long-read sequencing technologies and the advanced secondary analysis pipelines provided by PacBio, Oxford Nanopore,… Read more »
When performing variant classification using VarSeq’s ACMG classifier, a large number of variants inevitably fall into the category of variants of uncertain significance (VUS). This is because much of the evidence required for confident classification cannot be programmatically evaluated. Take PS3, for example, the criterion for functional evidence. This criterion requires well-established in vitro or in vivo studies, but assessing… Read more »
In the dynamic field of pharmacogenomics (PGx), the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system stands out as a critical factor in personalizing drug therapies, particularly in avoiding severe adverse reactions. However, as highlighted in a comprehensive review on the HLA system’s genetics and clinical testing, these genes are notoriously challenging to analyze due to their extreme polymorphism, complicating alignment and variant… Read more »
High-quality copy number variant (CNV) analysis begins with a well-designed assay and optimized sequencing workflow. Foundational quality measures deployed in VarSeq include building an appropriate reference set for coverage normalization, ensuring sufficient sequencing depth, and maintaining consistency in both the sequencing platform and library preparation methods. These steps help ensure robust data and reliable CNV detection. However, additional post-project refinement… Read more »
A crucial step in any next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis is quality control, which is essential for confirming the validity of potentially clinically relevant findings before proceeding with any subsequent variant interpretation or reporting. While Golden Helix does not directly provide NGS validation services, our VarSeq software provides robust analysis tools that can help users perform their own quality control (QC)… Read more »
At Golden Helix, we’ve supported the HGVS variant nomenclature standard since the very first release of VarSeq. The HGVS standard provides a consistent and precise language for describing sequence variants in the context of gene transcripts and is a critical part of clinical genomics workflows. As with all living standards, HGVS continues to evolve, refining how we describe increasingly complex… Read more »
Modern genomics workflows often require multiple specialized tools working in concert. In the upcoming VarSeq release, we are excited to announce the option for tighter integration with IGV. Genomics researchers and clinicians are well-versed in using IGV as a visualization tool for their genomic data. This new option will allow for synchronizing the view in the Golden Helix GenomeBrowser with… Read more »
We on the FAS Team recently had a case we wanted to share where Compute Field could help a customer navigate filtering a unique edge case. This edge case coincides with the rising popularity of filtering on a specific value for the Alternate of the Allelic Depths Column. Said another way, we could be looking for Alt DP greater than… Read more »
Golden Helix customers continue to push the boundaries of genomic research and clinical applications, leveraging VarSeq to analyze complex genetic data and uncover previously uncatalogued variants. With advancements in long-read sequencing and our recent updates to the VarSeq software, clinicians can now harness phasing information to distinguish between inherited and novel mutations in a Trio analysis with unprecedented accuracy. In… Read more »
Golden Helix field application scientists curate a set of FAS templates that capture best practices for filtering, which we use when training and onboarding customers. In addition to the basic templates that come default with the software, these more fleshed-out templates are available upon request. This first blog in the series focuses on germline variant analysis. Rare Pathogenic Variants The… Read more »
It’s the big day, and you’ve spent hours preparing for the big old-fashioned family Thanksgiving. Keeping in mind that your Cousin Eddie likes to show up unannounced and eat you out of house and home, you have remembered our food allergy allele workflow from last year, and prepared a special menu. Right on time, Cousin Eddie arrives, family in tow…. Read more »
Mitochondrial diseases, caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), represent a complex and diverse group of disorders. These conditions often affect organs with high-energy demands, such as the brain, heart, and muscles. Identifying mitochondrial DNA variants and understanding their clinical relevance is essential for diagnosing and treating these diseases. One of the most valuable resources in mitochondrial variant analysis is… Read more »
The PGx Variant Detection and Recommendations algorithm is the driving force behind the pharmacogenomic analysis capabilities provided by VSPGx in VarSeq. This algorithm is used to identify pharmacogenomic diplotypes and annotate them against drug recommendations. In this blog post, we outline the steps involved in the process and explain the annotation tracks utilized by the algorithm at each stage of… Read more »
VarSeq enables users to import structural variants for annotation, filtration, and subsequent clinical or other analyses. Structural variants are often called during secondary analysis as belonging to two broad categories – Copy Number Variants (CNVs) with the file suffix “…_CNV.vcf” and Breakends with the file suffix “…_SV.vcf”. This blog will give some insight into how structural variants are triaged when… Read more »
Variant curation is one of the most important aspects of a next-generation sequencing workflow. The routine application of previously rendered interpretations, paired with the ability to take into account evolving knowledge bases, allows clinical practices to rapidly and accurately provide life-saving results to patients. Hence, assessment catalogs, versatile databases that store variant interpretations for rapid access, form one of the… Read more »
