Invitae Introduces Routine Exome Reanalysis to Help Patients Receive Diagnoses Faster

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced all patients who undergo exome testing with Invitae will receive routine case-level reanalysis of their findings every six months for at least three years. Reanalysis ensures patients' reports will be regularly updated based on new research about links between variants in their genes and their health -- an essential step for people grappling with difficult-to-diagnose health problems.

The expanded service will draw on Invitae's industry-leading genetic variant interpretation capabilities, which include an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered diagnosis engine and an up-to-date gene-phenotype database, and is coupled with review by a team of leading genetics experts. The combination provides accurate, reproducible, and unbiased exome interpretation. With the new reanalysis service, each patient's genetic findings will be reanalyzed every six months so that any newly discovered and clinically relevant information can be used to help aid in diagnosis and guide proper disease management and treatment.

Invitae will be one of the only laboratories to make sequential, case-level reanalysis standard for all patients who receive exome sequencing. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) considers ongoing reanalysis of sequence data to be critical, as it can increase the number of patients receiving information that is relevant to diagnosis or care by as much as 20 percent. 

"Getting to an accurate molecular diagnosis as quickly as possible means patients can begin to receive appropriate management and therapy sooner, which is crucial, particularly in conditions for which early intervention can improve outcomes or in conditions with a significant recurrence risk to the parents of an affected child. Unfortunately, many patients go years before they are accurately diagnosed," said Robert Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of Invitae. "New information on gene-disease relationships is discovered at a rapid pace in this fast-moving field, and each additional piece of information has the potential to benefit a patient. We want to ensure our patients and their clinicians have continually updated findings so we can help shorten the diagnostic odyssey for as many patients as possible."

Invitae's AI-powered diagnosis engine prioritizes the most relevant variants in a patient's exome based on next-generation sequencing genotype data and against clinical features provided by the patient. Variants are compared to a constantly updated database of gene-disease relationships, which leverages natural language processing and other technologies to continually and automatically scan scientific literature to curate the latest information on genetics and human diseases. The approach was built in part with technologies obtained in March 2020 through the acquisition of Diploid, a privately held Belgian company that developed Moon, AI software capable of diagnosing genetic disorders in minutes based on next-generation sequencing data and patient information. 

The curated information provided by the automated systems fit seamlessly within Invitae's validated and quantitative variant classification system, which expands on ACMG/Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines to ensure consistent and reproducible evaluation of variant pathogenicity.

Learn more about Invitae's exome sequencing offering here. A webinar, "Invitae exome interpretation: Leading with science and innovation to bring exomes to scale," is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar here.

About Invitae
Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the benefits and capabilities of the company's exome reanalysis service; and the benefits of updated genetic information. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's failure to manage growth effectively; the company's need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:
Laura D'Angelo
[email protected]
(628) 213-3283

SOURCE Invitae Corporation

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