Omicia Introduces Phevor to Boost Identification of Disease-Causing Gene Mutations

OAKLAND, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 28, 2014) -  Omicia, Inc., the leading genome interpretation company, today announced it is integrating Phevor™ (Phenotype Driven Variant Ontological Re-ranking tool) into its Opal product offering. Phevor, an algorithm co-developed by the University of Utah and Omicia, accelerates identification of disease-relevant variants in genomic sequences.

Phevor is being integrated into Omicia's Opal platform including with Opal Clinical™, a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service genomic interpretation platform that was introduced October 16 at the American Society of Human Genetics annual conference. Opal Clinical, enables hospitals and diagnostic labs to launch next generation sequencing tests faster and interpret results more accurately and quickly. Now, Phevor allows direct integration of patient symptoms and condition information to further prioritize genetic variants.

"We introduce Phevor and Opal Clinical as a logical extension of VAAST, the pioneering algorithm developed in collaboration with our partner the University of Utah," said Mike Aicher, CEO at Omicia. "With Omicia's solution, researchers and clinical diagnostic organizations can interpret genomic tests, generate accurate clinical reports to help diagnose diseases and improve treatment plans. This bring us closer to realizing personalized medicine."

The Phevor algorithm works by combining the probabilities of gene mutations being involved in a disease, databases of phenotypes -- the physical manifestation of a disease -- and information on gene function. By combining these factors, Phevor identifies an undiagnosed disease or the most likely candidate gene mutation causing a disease. It is particularly useful when clinicians want to identify an illness or gene mutation involving a single patient or the patient and nuclear family members, which is the most common clinical situation for undiagnosed diseases.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Omicia will introduce Phevor during the Innovation Showcase at Venture Beat's HealthBeat conference on Tuesday, October 28, at 2:00pm at the Grand Hyatt Union Square in San Francisco.

About Omicia, Inc.

Omicia delivers genome analysis solutions for research, diagnostic and clinical applications. Our market-leading software platform enables analysis, interpretation and reporting on genomic data to expedite diagnosis and improve medical outcomes. Omicia's products are in use at more than 400 world-class academic and clinical institutions worldwide. By accelerating understanding of the genetic basis of disease, drug response and health, Omicia is unlocking the potential of individualized medicine. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Omicia was founded by renowned industry veterans with a deep understanding of technology, genomics and diagnostics. Investors include Artis Ventures, Acadia Woods, Bay City Capital, Buchanan Investments, Casdin Capital and Yuri Milner. For more information, visit www.omicia.com and follow us on Twitter @omicia.