Golden Helix Blog

Best Practices for Variant Annotation and Filtration – Germline Variant Analysis

Jan 14, 2025

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…

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Harnessing the Power of VarSeq: Recent Publications

Jan 14, 2025

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed our ability to detect the genetic causes of diseases. VarSeq is a key tool in this process because it helps users sift through large numbers of genetic variants to find those most likely to cause or contribute to disease. The below publications have demonstrated VarSeq’s…

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Golden Helix: Charting Our 2025 Strategy

Jan 2, 2025

We just wrapped up a dynamic and rewarding 2024. Hence, we want to take a moment to celebrate key milestones that have set the stage for our next chapter. This year, we pushed our solutions to new frontiers in clinical genomics. Here are the major accomplishments of last year: 1.…

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Bringing Variant Analysis to your Browser with VSWarehouse 3

Dec 12, 2024

In our recent post on VSWarehouse 3, we discussed how our comprehensive workflow system streamlines genomic analysis pipelines by directly integrating with your existing cloud infrastructure. Today, we will explore how you can use VarSeq to analyze the data produced by these workflows directly in your browser. Bringing VarSeq to…

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VSWarehouse 3 as an Integration Platform

Dec 5, 2024

Following up on our recent post about VSWarehouse 3’s Bring Your Own Cloud capabilities, we wanted to dive deeper into one of its most powerful features: our comprehensive workflow system. This system is designed to streamline genomic analysis pipelines while providing flexible integration with various cloud genomics providers. Understanding VSWarehouse…

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How Customers Are Using VarSeq to Drive Genetic Discoveries

Dec 4, 2024

Golden Helix customers are at the forefront of genetic research, using VarSeq to tackle some of the most challenging questions in genomics. From identifying novel variants to uncovering the genetic basis of rare diseases, their work showcases the power of VarSeq in real-world applications. In this blog, we’re highlighting three…

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Complex Variants for Acid Reflux, Right in Time for Thanksgiving!

Nov 26, 2024

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…

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Webcast Follow-Up: Answering Your Questions on VSWarehouse 3 and Bring Your Own Cloud

Nov 21, 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent webcast, Bring Your Own Cloud: Clinical Testing at Scale with VSWarehouse 3. We’re thrilled about the level of engagement during the Q&A session and wanted to take the opportunity to elaborate on some of the key questions asked. Here’s a recap of…

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Golden Helix CancerKB 4.0 is Officially Released!

Nov 19, 2024

Just in time for the holidays, Golden Helix CancerKB 4.0 is now available to incorporate into your cancer analysis workflows! We have termed this release “The Hematological release” as we boast of complete coverage of the NCCN Guidelines recommended therapies and FDA-approved therapies for all hematological cancers in our Drug…

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Don’t Miss MITOMAP for Mitochondrial Variant Analysis in VarSeq

Nov 12, 2024

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…

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Golden Helix at AMP 2024: Advancing Precision Oncology and NGS Analysis

Nov 12, 2024

Golden Helix is excited to announce our attendance at AMP 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, from November 21 to 23. Visit booth #1511 to discover how our latest advancements in cancer capabilities, automation, and clinical diagnostics can transform your genomic workflows and precision medicine applications. Live Demos: Experience the Latest…

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Exploring Publicly Available NGS Data Sources

Oct 31, 2024

Publicly available datasets play a crucial role in research and offer resources for validation and benchmarking of workflows. In this blog, I would like to point out and briefly discuss several notable, publicly available sources of NGS sequencing data. Each of these sources provides validated datasets that are invaluable for…

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Golden Helix at ASHG 2024: Come Say Hi and Check Out Our Latest Innovations!

Oct 29, 2024

Guess what, Golden Helix users and interested parties? We will be front and center at the ASHG 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, from November 6-8—and we’ve got a ton to share with you. If you’re attending, make sure you swing by booth #959 because we’re bringing some great new…

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Showcasing VarSeq: Empowering Groundbreaking Genetic Research

Oct 29, 2024

Our VarSeq software continues to support cutting-edge research, enabling scientists worldwide to explore the depths of genetic variants with precision and accuracy. In this blog, we highlight recent publications that leveraged VarSeq for impactful discoveries in pharmacogenomics and familial cancer studies, showcasing the vital role of our tools in advancing…

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Efficient Quality Control tools for an automated VarSeq pipeline

Oct 29, 2024

Optimizing sample throughput while maintaining quality control is, arguably, the crux of any profitable lab performing a high volume of analysis. We’ve discussed in great detail the flexibility of VSPipeline, our command line automation tool, as well as our full-stack FASTQ to report automation capabilities, and today I’d like to…

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GnomAD 4.1 Released: Improved Allele Frequency Data for VarSeq Users

Oct 22, 2024

We’re excited to announce the release of gnomAD 4.1 variant frequencies as an annotation track in VarSeq. This latest release addresses key issues from previous versions and introduces joint variant frequencies curated directly from gnomAD. Additionally, we’ve refined our liftover process, offering more accurate GRCh37 tracks. By incorporating this data…

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Flexible Biomarker Reporting Capabilities with VarSeq: Somatic Interpretation Made Easy!

Oct 15, 2024

Reporting on Cancer Biomarkers may seem like a daunting task, both in determining the scope of what a biomarker can encompass and which information to include. Biomarkers can come in the form of small variants (SNPs and INDELs), copy number variants, and structural variants. Biomarkers can also be sourced from…

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VarSeq 2.6.2 is Released!

Oct 8, 2024

I am pleased to announce that VarSeq 2.6.2 is now available! VarSeq 2.6.2 comes jammed-packed with new features and capabilities to advance your NGS analysis workflows. In this blog, I will describe the major changes to the VSPGx workflow, which were the main focus of the release, and I will…

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Compound Heterozygosity Between Variant Classes

Oct 4, 2024

Compound heterozygosity describes the relationship between two alternate alleles when they are located within the same gene but at different loci within that gene. Compound heterozygosity is particularly relevant in a recessive disorder when the presence of these alleles in combination confers an increased risk of disease, similar to a…

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How VarSeq Powers Research in Inherited Diseases and Cancer

Sep 25, 2024

Exome and genome sequencing have advanced genetic research, but data analysis remains complex. VarSeq simplifies this by helping researchers identify key genetic changes in rare diseases and cancer, improving screening and diagnosis. Here are recent customer publications that highlight VarSeq usage. Expanded carrier screening for inherited genetic disease using exome…

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