Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine Expands Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing to Children’s Minnesota

San Diego/Minneapolis, Minn. – July 11, 2017 – Uniting to advance pediatric precision medicine, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine has signed an agreement with Children’s Minnesota to provide Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS) to more effectively treat critically ill infants in Children’s Minnesota’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Rady Children’s Institute and Children’s Minnesota share a strong interest in clinical innovation and research collaboration to enhance patient care, decrease health care costs and further the scientific understanding of both rare and common complex genetic diseases in children.

The goal of genomic medicine is to provide personalized care for each child based on a precise diagnosis. The timeliness of the rWGS offered through this collaboration will enable earlier, more targeted medical intervention for children with conditions that are not otherwise readily identifiable.

“The future of pediatric medicine is being transformed by the ability to rapidly decode the genomes of the most fragile newborns to deliver exact diagnoses and targeted treatment,” said Stephen Kingsmore, MD, DSc, president and CEO of Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine.

Through the new collaboration, Children’s Minnesota will be able to send blood samples to the Institute’s clinical genome center in San Diego. There, rapid whole genome sequencing, bioinformatics analysis and clinical interpretation will take place with a goal of delivering an exact diagnosis in as little as two days.

“We are excited to incorporate these genomic findings into the clinical care of our sickest patients in our neonatal intensive care units,” said Nancy Mendelsohn, MD, chief of specialty pediatrics at Children’s Minnesota. “This enables us to quickly customize treatment for these fragile patients and improve or save their lives.”

Since July 2016, Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine has performed rapid whole genome sequencing for over 100 families with acutely ill children enrolled in its research studies. As a result, approximately 40 percent of patients have received a genomic diagnosis with 80 percent of those benefitting from an immediate change in clinical care.

“This is the beginning of our long-term vision to save babies with rare, life-threatening diseases by extending rapid whole genome sequencing to NICUs nationwide,” said the Institute’s Dr. Kingsmore. “Our goal is that more children can be helped by the power of rWGS, and we can prove its clinical utility so ultimately all who need it may have access.”

Children’s Minnesota, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine are among the nationwide health centers forming the Sanford Children’s Genomic Medicine Consortium. Inspired by the vision of philanthropist Denny Sanford, the Consortium is committed to advancing children’s medicine through the integration of genomics into pediatric care. Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine and Children’s Minnesota are the first in the consortium to offer rWGS through collaboration in the Institute’s research studies.

Additional members of the Consortium include Sanford Children’s, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Banner Children’s at Diamond Children’s Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona and Miami Children’s Health System-Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

About Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine:

The Institute is leading the way in advancing precision healthcare for infants and children through genomic and systems medicine research. Discoveries at the Institute are enabling rapid diagnosis and targeted treatment of critically ill newborns and pediatric patients at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and partner hospitals. The vision is to expand delivery of this integrated translational research process to enable the practice of precision pediatric medicine at children’s hospitals across California, the nation and the world. RCIGM is a subsidiary of Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center. Learn more at www.RadyGenomics.org.

About Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego:

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is a 551-bed pediatric care facility providing the largest source of comprehensive pediatric medical services in San Diego, southern Riverside and Imperial counties. Rady Children’s is the only hospital in the San Diego area dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare and is the region’s only designated pediatric trauma center. In June 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Rady Children’s among the best children’s hospitals in the nation in all ten pediatric specialties the magazine surveyed. Rady Children’s is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to support its mission. For more information, visit www.rchsd.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo.

About Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty-care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children’s maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children’s health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. This work is made possible in large part by generous philanthropic and volunteer support from individuals and organizations throughout the state and region. An award-winning health system, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital. Please visit childrensMN.org.

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