Search Results for: annotation

The State of Variant Annotation: A Comparison of AnnoVar, snpEff and VEP

         June 25, 2014

Up until a few weeks ago, I thought variant classification was basically a solved problem. I mean, how hard can it be? We look at variants all the time and say things like, “Well that one is probably not too detrimental since it’s a 3 base insertion, but this frameshift is worth looking into.” What we fail to recognize is… Read more »

New 1kG, dbNSFP, and ESP6500 Annotation Tracks and Associated Filters

         July 16, 2012

SVS 7.6.7 features new tools for filtering sequencing data based on functional predictions and allele frequencies. To complement these new features, new annotations tracks have been uploaded to our data server and are now available for our customers! Below you will find descriptions of the new tools and the related annotations track(s).

Importing External PGx Calls for Extended Gene-Drug Reporting in VarSeq

         May 27, 2025

Pharmacogenomic (PGx) analysis empowers researchers and clinicians to tailor drug therapies based on a patient’s genetic profile, but not all regions of the genome are easy to interpret. Genes like CYP2D6 and HLA-A are tricky when it comes to rendering diplotype calls. This is due to a number of factors including high polymorphism, structural variations (including copy number variants), and… Read more »

Golden Helix Launches Enterprise Genomic Analysis with VarSeq 3 and VSWarehouse 3

         May 22, 2025
Enterprise Genomic Analysis with VarSeq 3 & VSWarehouse 3 Featured Image

Today, we announced the release of VarSeq 3 and VSWarehouse 3, marking a major milestone in enterprise-scale secondary and tertiary genomic analysis. The release introduces cloud-native deployment options optimized for AWS and Azure, expanded support for hybrid and on-premise support, flexible licensing models, including per-sample packaging tailored to small and mid-sized labs. To support these new deployment and licensing models,… Read more »

Leveraging ClinVar Curated Databases in VarSeq

         May 13, 2025

ClinVar is a global, publicly accessible database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) that archives interpretations of human genetic variants and their clinical relevance. ClinVar consists of contributions from clinical labs, expert panels, and research groups, and serves as a community-powered knowledge base that is foundational for clinical genetics. This powerful database is expectedly one of the… Read more »

Golden Helix Customer Publications

         April 29, 2025
Scientist working on computer

NGS Software is Bridging the Gap Between Discovery and Practical Application Researchers, clinicians, and scientists need cutting-edge solutions to better understand the complexities of human genetics. By delivering high-quality analysis tools and advancing the interpretation of genomic data, Golden Helix bridges the gap between discovery and practical application. Our NGS technologies play a critical role in accelerating genetic insights, supporting… Read more »

Taking Control of Your Data: Why Ownership Matters in Genomic Analysis

         April 21, 2025
Why Data Ownership Matters in Genomic Analysis Icon

In the rapidly evolving field of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and precision medicine, data sovereignty has emerged as a critical concern for bioinformatic operations. Healthcare organizations, molecular diagnostic laboratories, and government-funded genome centers worldwide increasingly recognize that maintaining complete control over high-dimensional genomic data isn’t merely about regulatory compliance—it’s fundamentally about scientific autonomy, institutional independence, and long-term data stewardship within a… Read more »

Custom Applications in VSWarehouse 3: Running IGV Genome Browser from the Cloud

         April 3, 2025
Custom Applications in VSWarehouse 3 Running IGV Genome Browser from the Cloud Icon

VSWarehouse 3 (VSW3) is a powerful genomic data warehousing solution that gives laboratories full control over their cloud deployments while ensuring security and flexibility. One of its most exciting new features is the ability to run custom applications directly from the browser. This means that users can launch specialized tools to analyze and visualize genomic data without leaving their secure… Read more »

Real-World Applications of VarSeq in Genetic Research

         March 25, 2025
Real-World Applications of VarSeq in Genetic Research Icon

Genomic research is advancing at an unprecedented pace, and with it comes the need for powerful tools that can turn raw sequencing data into meaningful insights. VarSeq, our variant analysis and interpretation platform, has become a go-to solution for researchers tackling complex genetic questions. Whether in rare disease diagnostics, population genetics, cancer research, or infectious disease studies, VarSeq provides the… Read more »

The VSWarehouse 3 End-User Experience: Improvements In All the Right Places

         March 4, 2025
The VSWarehouse 3 End-User Experience: Improvements In All the Right Places Icon

Clinical variant analysis experts with fully integrated workflows are often hesitant to upgrade or migrate their workspace, and rightly so. Similarly, those looking for new next-generation sequencing analysis software, whether for secondary (alignment and variant-calling) or tertiary (variant annotation, filtration, interpretation, and reporting) analysis, can be easily daunted by the breadth and depth of the process of setting up a… Read more »

VarSeq in Action – Recent Customer Publications

         March 3, 2025
VarSeq in Action - Recent Customer Publications Icon

Advancements in genomic analysis tools have significantly enhanced the identification and characterization of genetic variants associated with complex diseases. VarSeq, our flagship powerful variant annotation and filtration software, plays a crucial role in streamlining whole-exome sequencing (WES) data analysis, enabling researchers to detect pathogenic mutations efficiently. By utilizing VarSeq’s comprehensive annotation capabilities, researchers were able to filter and prioritize variants,… Read more »

VarSeq Empowers Genomic Discoveries

         February 3, 2025
VarSeq Empowers Genomic Discoveries Small

At Golden Helix, we’re proud to see how VarSeq is transforming the landscape of genetic research and clinical diagnostics. From variant annotation and filtering to in-depth visualization, VarSeq’s powerful suite of tools helps researchers uncover critical genetic insights with confidence and efficiency. In this blog post, we’re excited to showcase recent publications where VarSeq played a pivotal role in identifying… Read more »

CADD 1.7 in VarSeq Enables Enhanced Prioritization of Missense and Non-Coding Variants

         January 28, 2025
CADD - Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion Preview Image

We are excited to announce the addition of CADD 1.7 as an annotation track in VarSeq. The latest release of CADD incorporates a variety of new annotations into its model, resulting in significant improvements in variant scoring. This includes the integration of Meta ESM scores and improved performance on non-coding variants. Meta AI Evolutionary Scale Model One of the most… Read more »

Harnessing the Power of VarSeq: Recent Publications

         January 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 usefulness in discovering new gene variants related to neurodevelopmental disorders,… Read more »

VSWarehouse 3 as an Integration Platform

         December 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 3 Workflows At its core, VSWarehouse 3’s workflow system is… Read more »

Exploring Publicly Available NGS Data Sources

         October 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 laboratories and institutions processing NGS samples. EPI2ME is an advanced… Read more »

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

         October 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 information on our latest updates that are going to take… Read more »

GnomAD 4.1 Released: Improved Allele Frequency Data for VarSeq Users

         October 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 into the VarSeq data source library, we provide users with… Read more »