Intellia Therapeutics has joined the Genomics England Genomics Expert Network for Enterprises (GENE) Consortium, as the first, dedicated genome editing company to participate in the 100,000 Genomes Project.

The GENE Consortium, established in March 2015, is the 100,000 Genomes Project’s industry partnership. Intellia will join twelve other companies who are working together in a pre-competitive trial. The collaboration aims to identify the most effective and secure way of bringing industry expertise into the 100,000 Genomes Project to realize future potential benefits for patients affected by rare diseases or cancers. Members of the consortium are granted controlled access to aggregated, de-identified genome and health data of participants. They work alongside experts that specialize in data analysis, so that the project can benefit from cutting edge advances in handling Big Data.

Genomics can greatly improve our understanding of health and disease, unlocking new treatments or repurposing existing treatments based an individual’s genomic makeup—so-called personalized medicine.

Sir John Chisholm, executive chairman, Genomics England, said, “The potential for genomics to transform healthcare, from better diagnoses to new drugs and treatments, is extraordinary. We are delighted to welcome Intellia Therapeutics to our GENE Consortium. The UK is a global leader in population sequencing and it’s important for the future of medicine that we continue to attract and collaborate with the most innovative emerging technologies in this space.”

“Access to genomics information is critical as Intellia looks to better understand the basis of disease and to develop potential genome-editing treatments,” said Intellia’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D. “We look forward to actively participating in the GENE Consortium, as Genomics England is enabling scientific exploration and key medical insights that ultimately will benefit patients.”