NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Claritas Genomics and Genetic Alliance announced today that they have partnered by coupling Claritas' genetic testing services with Genetic Alliance's patient connection platform in order to help patients and families find and participate in rare disease research.
The two companies hope the agreement will help advance understanding of individual genetic disorders and the development of new therapies.
Under the partnership, Claritas, in collaboration with patient advocacy organizations, will use Genetic Alliance's Platform for Engaging Everyone Responsibly (PEER), to connect individual patients' genetic testing and exome sequencing results to their clinical information.
Using the PEER system, patients receiving Claritas clinical testing services will be able to choose what information to share with other participants and with relevant research initiatives. PEER participants can also change those settings over time and indicate whether they wish to be contacted for further opportunities.
Patrice Milos, Claritas' president and CEO, said in a statement that adopting PEER will allow the company to "offer patients and caregivers the opportunity to engage in truly patient-centered genomics research," while still "acknowledging the patient's preferences regarding privacy, risk/benefit considerations, their timeline, and willingness to share their data."