Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) have entered a partnership with the Munich Leukemia Laboratory with the aim of developing a cognitive technology prototype which will assist researchers in improving the treatment of leukemia. This comes in the wake of rising cases of leukemia in Europe with more than 15,000 people being diagnosed with the disease in Germany every year.
For the purpose of sequencing samples from a biobank containing more than half a million cases, Munich Leukemia Laboratory will use Illumina’s Novaseq technology which was unveiled in January this year. Illumina is currently the world leader in advanced sequencing techniques. IBM Watson will then be used to assist Munich Leukemia Laboratory researchers in interpreting the genomic data.
“We at MLL are excited to combine our data and knowledge, IBM’s cognitive computing tools, and Illumina’s new sequencing platform to create a new era of insights in leukemia biology that will also drive more personalized treatment strategies,” said Torsten Haferlach, the Munich Leukemia Laboratory’s chief executive officer and co-founder.
Innovative testing
In about 5,000 of the cases, the partnership will see new and advanced testing processes including whole genome sequencing, automated genotyping, automated phenotyping, and trascriptome sequencing used. The bigger goal is to build a technology prototype that is based on IBM Watson that can be used in analyzing phenotypic and genomic data while also incorporating study results, guidelines and medical literature with a view to offering clinicians information that is helpful to the care of leukemia patients. If this succeeds, the technology could also be licensed to other labs.
Medical data
To assist in the streamlining of data aggregation, data curation, data analysis, and data storage, the German-based laboratory will make use of the BaseSpace Informatics Suite from Illumina. The sequencing technology company has a facility in Frankfurt that will assist Munich Leukemia Laboratory in the management of data as well as facilitating the transfer of data to IBM Watson. Munich Leukemia Laboratory is Illumina’s first customer on the European continent.
On Wednesday shares of International Business Machines Corp fell by 0.52% to close the day at $179.45 while shares of Illumina Inc declined by 0.71% to end the day at $164.40.
