The genetics you inherit is the only data set in healthcare that doesn’t change over time, which is why, if you generate high enough quality sequencing data you should be able to use that data again and again both in the care of the patient and for research purposes. Because of this, we deploy a  … Read more

Primary care was first introduced to the healthcare ecosystem in the early 1960s, and even in its early days, the term had many different definitions and could be applied to many categories of healthcare including the care provided by certain types of clinicians such as nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, a set of activities or services  … Read more

COVID and flu cases appear to have officially peaked in the US. Our top takeaways for the week: COVID cases, hospitalizations and wastewater levels are all trending down. While XBB.1.5 is still growing fairly rapidly (in the west now, along with the northeast and south), it is not translating into an overall increase in cases.  … Read more

COVID hospitalizations and cases continue to rise in the US. Our top takeaways for the week: COVID cases are up in most age groups, and highest in the Northeast and South. Cases are up the most dramatically in most adult populations (over 18) and we are also seeing an increase in co-infections with other endemic  … Read more

As we close the book on 2022, the Helix team was busier than ever in pursuit of our mission to empower every person to improve their life through DNA. Some key highlights: New health system partners: We were excited to share the news of three new health system partnerships this year. In March, we announced  … Read more

As predicted, COVID and flu cases are officially on the rise in line with the winter season. Here are our top takeaways for the week: COVID cases are up 55% over the last 2 weeks (as are hospitalizations and deaths), with the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants officially dominating. The two variants make up >50% of  … Read more

As the Chief Physician Executive of WellSpan Health, Dr. Anthony Aquilina sees meaningful benefits of getting genetic insights into the hands of the providers. WellSpan Health and Helix recently announced a new partnership to create a comprehensive population-scale genetic screening program for Pennsylvanians. We sat down to chat with Dr. Aquilina about the value he  … Read more

Genetic screening for definite Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) looks for pathogenic variants in the LDLR, APOB, or PCSK9 genes, as not everyone with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease has FH. Health professionals recommend genetic testing when an individual’s relatives have been previously diagnosed with FH or based upon physical examination for symptoms  … Read more

Our latest COVID and flu insights as you start prepping for the holidays. Top takeaways: For the first time since July, we are seeing slight increases in COVID positivity rates, with highest growth in individuals 18-24 years old. COVID cases look to be rising slightly now, specifically in 18-24 year olds. While it initially looked  … Read more

Genomics is a powerful tool for improving health outcomes in both individuals and the population as a whole. Population-level genomic studies are essential to lay the groundwork for effective genomic screening of individuals, but genomic data from many underserved communities is lacking. Developing effective outreach to these communities can be difficult as standard approaches for  … Read more