Thermo Fisher Scientific announced the launch of a new human genomics research tool, Axiom PangenomiX Array, that complements the recent development of the pangenome, a new set of reference genomes that better represents human genetic diversity.
The high-throughput, ethnically diverse array combines four assays in one test: SNP genotyping, whole genome copy number variant detection, fixed copy number discovery, and blood and HLA typing, Thermo Fisher said in the announcement.
Because the array is inclusive of clinically relevant pharmacogenomic markers and pathogenic variants, it is designed to advance disease risk and detection research, population-scale disease research programs, ancestry and wellness testing, drug efficacy testing, and drug development research, according to the company.
“With more diverse genomic data sets, population-scale testing for diseases is reaching even greater heights with long-term ramifications for our understanding of human disease, drug development, pharmacogenomics and ancestry,” Thermo Fisher's president of genetic sciences Kim Caple said in the announcement.
