Bringing Phasing Information from Long-Read Data into a Trio Analysis

         February 11, 2025
Bringing Phasing Information from Long-Read Data into a Trio Analysis Header

Golden Helix customers continue to push the boundaries of genomic research and clinical applications, leveraging VarSeq to analyze complex genetic data and uncover previously uncatalogued variants. With advancements in long-read sequencing and our recent updates to the VarSeq software, clinicians can now harness phasing information to distinguish between inherited and novel mutations in a Trio analysis with unprecedented accuracy. In… Read more »

VarSeq Empowers Genomic Discoveries

         February 3, 2025
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At Golden Helix, we’re proud to see how VarSeq is transforming the landscape of genetic research and clinical diagnostics. From variant annotation and filtering to in-depth visualization, VarSeq’s powerful suite of tools helps researchers uncover critical genetic insights with confidence and efficiency. In this blog post, we’re excited to showcase recent publications where VarSeq played a pivotal role in identifying… Read more »

CADD 1.7 in VarSeq Enables Enhanced Prioritization of Missense and Non-Coding Variants

         January 28, 2025
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We are excited to announce the addition of CADD 1.7 as an annotation track in VarSeq. The latest release of CADD incorporates a variety of new annotations into its model, resulting in significant improvements in variant scoring. This includes the integration of Meta ESM scores and improved performance on non-coding variants. Meta AI Evolutionary Scale Model One of the most… Read more »

Best Practices for Variant Annotation and Filtration – Germline Variant Analysis

         January 14, 2025
Best Practices for Variant Annotation and Filtration - Germline Variant Analysis preview image

Golden Helix field application scientists curate a set of FAS templates that capture best practices for filtering, which we use when training and onboarding customers. In addition to the basic templates that come default with the software, these more fleshed-out templates are available upon request. This first blog in the series focuses on germline variant analysis. Rare pathogenic variants The… Read more »

Harnessing the Power of VarSeq: Recent Publications

         January 14, 2025

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed our ability to detect the genetic causes of diseases. VarSeq is a key tool in this process because it helps users sift through large numbers of genetic variants to find those most likely to cause or contribute to disease. The below publications have demonstrated VarSeq’s usefulness in discovering new gene variants related to neurodevelopmental disorders,… Read more »

Golden Helix: Charting Our 2025 Strategy

         January 2, 2025

We just wrapped up a dynamic and rewarding 2024. Hence, we want to take a moment to celebrate key milestones that have set the stage for our next chapter. This year, we pushed our solutions to new frontiers in clinical genomics. Here are the major accomplishments of last year: 1. Pharmacogenomics: releasing VSPGx entering into a new class of genetic… Read more »

Bringing Variant Analysis to your Browser with VSWarehouse 3

         December 12, 2024

In our recent post on VSWarehouse 3, we discussed how our comprehensive workflow system streamlines genomic analysis pipelines by directly integrating with your existing cloud infrastructure. Today, we will explore how you can use VarSeq to analyze the data produced by these workflows directly in your browser. Bringing VarSeq to Your Browser With VSWarehouse3, our premier variant analysis platform is… Read more »

VSWarehouse 3 as an Integration Platform

         December 5, 2024

Following up on our recent post about VSWarehouse 3’s Bring Your Own Cloud capabilities, we wanted to dive deeper into one of its most powerful features: our comprehensive workflow system. This system is designed to streamline genomic analysis pipelines while providing flexible integration with various cloud genomics providers. Understanding VSWarehouse 3 Workflows At its core, VSWarehouse 3’s workflow system is… Read more »

How Customers Are Using VarSeq to Drive Genetic Discoveries

         December 4, 2024

Golden Helix customers are at the forefront of genetic research, using VarSeq to tackle some of the most challenging questions in genomics. From identifying novel variants to uncovering the genetic basis of rare diseases, their work showcases the power of VarSeq in real-world applications. In this blog, we’re highlighting three recent publications that demonstrate how customers are using VarSeq to… Read more »

Complex Variants for Acid Reflux, Right in Time for Thanksgiving!

         November 26, 2024

It’s the big day, and you’ve spent hours preparing for the big old-fashioned family Thanksgiving. Keeping in mind that your Cousin Eddie likes to show up unannounced and eat you out of house and home, you have remembered our food allergy allele workflow from last year, and prepared a special menu. Right on time, Cousin Eddie arrives, family in tow…. Read more »

Webcast Follow-Up: Answering Your Questions on VSWarehouse 3 and Bring Your Own Cloud

         November 21, 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent webcast, Bring Your Own Cloud: Clinical Testing at Scale with VSWarehouse 3. We’re thrilled about the level of engagement during the Q&A session and wanted to take the opportunity to elaborate on some of the key questions asked. Here’s a recap of the answers: 1. Is it more expensive to run on… Read more »

Golden Helix CancerKB 4.0 is Officially Released!

         November 19, 2024

Just in time for the holidays, CancerKB 4.0 is now available to incorporate into your cancer analysis workflows! We have termed this release “The Hematological release” as we boast of complete coverage of the NCCN Guidelines recommended therapies and FDA-approved therapies for all hematological cancers in our Drug Sensitivity Interpretations. We have also reviewed and synthesized the consensus from the… Read more »

Don’t Miss MITOMAP for Mitochondrial Variant Analysis in VarSeq

         November 12, 2024

Mitochondrial diseases, caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), represent a complex and diverse group of disorders. These conditions often affect organs with high-energy demands, such as the brain, heart, and muscles. Identifying mitochondrial DNA variants and understanding their clinical relevance is essential for diagnosing and treating these diseases. One of the most valuable resources in mitochondrial variant analysis is… Read more »

Golden Helix at AMP 2024: Advancing Precision Oncology and NGS Analysis

         November 12, 2024

Golden Helix is excited to announce our attendance at AMP 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia, from November 21 to 23. Visit booth #1511 to discover how our latest advancements in cancer capabilities, automation, and clinical diagnostics can transform your genomic workflows and precision medicine applications. Live Demos: Experience the Latest Innovations Stop by our booth to see Golden Helix solutions… Read more »

Exploring Publicly Available NGS Data Sources

         October 31, 2024

Publicly available datasets play a crucial role in research and offer resources for validation and benchmarking of workflows. In this blog, I would like to point out and briefly discuss several notable, publicly available sources of NGS sequencing data. Each of these sources provides validated datasets that are invaluable for laboratories and institutions processing NGS samples. EPI2ME is an advanced… Read more »

Golden Helix at ASHG 2024: Come Say Hi and Check Out Our Latest Innovations!

         October 29, 2024

Guess what, Golden Helix users and interested parties? We will be front and center at the ASHG 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, from November 6-8—and we’ve got a ton to share with you. If you’re attending, make sure you swing by booth #959 because we’re bringing some great new information on our latest updates that are going to take… Read more »

Showcasing VarSeq: Empowering Groundbreaking Genetic Research

         October 29, 2024

Our VarSeq software continues to support cutting-edge research, enabling scientists worldwide to explore the depths of genetic variants with precision and accuracy. In this blog, we highlight recent publications that leveraged VarSeq for impactful discoveries in pharmacogenomics and familial cancer studies, showcasing the vital role of our tools in advancing personalized medicine and genetic research. Thai pharmacogenomics database −2 (TPGxD-2)… Read more »

Efficient Quality Control tools for an automated VarSeq pipeline

         October 29, 2024

Optimizing sample throughput while maintaining quality control is, arguably, the crux of any profitable lab performing a high volume of analysis. We’ve discussed in great detail the flexibility of VSPipeline, our command line automation tool, as well as our full-stack FASTQ to report automation capabilities, and today I’d like to further elucidate on how QC methods fit into the picture…. Read more »

GnomAD 4.1 Released: Improved Allele Frequency Data for VarSeq Users

         October 22, 2024

We’re excited to announce the release of gnomAD 4.1 variant frequencies as an annotation track in VarSeq. This latest release addresses key issues from previous versions and introduces joint variant frequencies curated directly from gnomAD. Additionally, we’ve refined our liftover process, offering more accurate GRCh37 tracks. By incorporating this data into the VarSeq data source library, we provide users with… Read more »

Flexible Biomarker Reporting Capabilities with VarSeq: Somatic Interpretation Made Easy!

         October 15, 2024

Reporting on Cancer Biomarkers may seem like a daunting task, both in determining the scope of what a biomarker can encompass and which information to include. Biomarkers can come in the form of small variants (SNPs and INDELs), copy number variants, and structural variants. Biomarkers can also be sourced from external cancer kits in the form of a Genomic Signature,… Read more »