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Truveta Genome Project Launches With $320M Investment From Regeneron, Illumina, Health Systems

NEW YORK – Healthcare data analysis company Truveta on Monday announced the launch of the Truveta Genome Project, a collaborative effort to generate genetic data on tens of millions of consented and de-identified volunteers, creating what it claims will be the largest and most diverse database of genotypic and phenotypic information ever assembled.

The initiative is launching with $320 million in equity investments from 17 health systems, Regeneron, and Illumina, at a valuation exceeding $1 billion, Bellevue, Washington-based Truveta said. This includes upfront investments of $119.5 million from Regeneron and $20 million from Illumina, adding to an undisclosed investment by Microsoft announced in September 2021.

Truveta said it will partner with the Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC) to sequence the exomes of the first 10 million volunteers. Microsoft Azure will be the exclusive cloud provider for the Truveta Genome Project.

As part of the project, US healthcare sites will obtain patient consent to use leftover biospecimens from routine lab tests linked to their de-identified medical records for anonymized genetic research. The biospecimens will be sent to RGC for sequencing, and leftover biospecimens will be stored to support future multiomics analyses.

All de-identified sequencing data will be added to Truveta Data, enabling biopharma and academic researchers to train AI models to help accelerate drug discovery, optimize clinical trials, and aid in diseases prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, Truveta said.

Participating health systems include Advocate Health, CommonSpirit Health, Henry Ford Health, Northwell Health, Providence, and Trinity Health.

Truveta was founded in 2020 by a group of health systems, now totaling 30, that have contributed de-identified electronic health record (EHR) data from their patients to create Truveta Data, which now represents more than 120 million patients.

"Just like volunteering to be an organ donor on your driver's license is a simple act of service with a profound impact, the Truveta Genome Project enables each of us to anonymously contribute to dramatically accelerate progress in discovering the science of humanity, improving the health of our families and communities, and lowering the cost of care," Terry Myerson, CEO and cofounder of Truveta, said in a statement.

"Discoveries from smaller datasets before today's AI have led to important new approaches to help prevent heart disease and restore hearing in children with certain forms of congenital deafness — it is so exciting to envision where a complete representative genomic dataset will guide us," Myerson added.

"Improving our understanding of the genome can transform healthcare by unlocking both the causes and cures of diseases, and we’re now helping build the world’s largest anonymized genetic database to deliver on that promise," Advocate Health CEO Eugene Woods said in a statement. "With this research into how genetic factors affect our health, based on tens of millions of records and harnessing the power of AI, we can then deliver tailored treatments based on patients' unique genetic makeup."

In addition, Woods noted, "because this dataset is drawn from the most diverse spectrum of volunteers, the resulting medical breakthroughs will have the power to benefit everyone."