New studies underline benefits and accuracy of genetic analysis

A major new scientific study project has underlined the accuracy provided by genomic sequencing and its strong potential for use in the management of care.

For this new research initiative, dubbed Sequence Quality Control, 150 researchers in 12 countries collaborated to rigorously define both the scope and the sources of variation in RNA sequencing data.

More than one billion nucleotides of sequencing data were generated by each of the three participating institutions – the Mayo Clinic in Florida, the Beijing Genomic Institute and Weill Cornell Medical School – which were then analysed with help from a large group of academic and industrial statisticians.

This research provided strong evidence of the extent to which sequence-based analyses can be relied upon within a given laboratory or from site to site, with strength and agreement discovered across RNA genomic sequencing techniques and laboratories.

Dr Aubrey Thompson, a professor of cancer biology at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, said: "The studies now establish the best practice for all laboratories to use, so that results are reliable and reproducible across laboratories."

This could be a crucial finding given the increasing importance of genetic research in a variety of medical fields, from stem cell research to personalised medicine.