NeuroSeq
NeuroSeq (formerly known as AnnEx), is an online platform designed to connect Parkinson’s researchers globally and facilitate genome data sharing from affected individuals. This platform gives all users more power to detect real disease-causing mutations and is making it possible to identify promising therapeutic leads in a fraction of the time required through conventional approaches. This innovative resource is also building a collective approach to delivering care for the most complex cases, as it unites worldwide neurologic expertise in patient diagnosis and treatment.
In addition, NeuroSeq provides a mechanism to enable a “precision medicine” approach to care provision and clinical trials, helping neurologists identify medications and participants most likely to benefit from them based on genetic markers. The beta version of NeuroSeq has already been proven to lead to gene discovery and to aid in diagnosis. The next step is to enhance the functionality of the system to further accelerate discovery and the translation of genetic insights into improvements in care.
NeuroSeq is designed not just to assist individual users with their research, but to become an increasingly valuable resource: every time a user adds genome data to NeuroSeq, all users reap the benefits of the additional information. It is a resource provided free of charge to any neurologist or scientist who receives appropriate ethics approvals. This capacity for collaboration is not afforded by any other platform in the world.
A beta version of NeuroSeq has been operational since it was launched in September 2017, and the global Parkinson’s community has responded enthusiastically. NeuroSeq is now at the heart of collaborations by neurologists and scientists in more than 20 countries in North America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia. This community is rapidly growing, sharing genome data from more than 3,200 persons, and new users are being added every month. The ultimate goal is to include the genomes of every Parkinson’s patient in the world who has been sequenced.
UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office expects the NeuroSeq software application to be useful in every branch of medicine, worldwide, beyond Parkinson’s disease and neurologic disorders. However, the source code would need to be adapted for other fields beyond neurology, potentially in other languages and for commercial applications. Anticipating demand, the University has prepared a non-exclusive licensing agreement to enable such development. Any fees paid would help maintain UBC’s NeuroSeq system.
To learn more about the NeuroSeq platform, you can read the 2019 Project Update here.