Use cases
Genomics
Origen project, precision and personalized medicine in Colombia
Genomcore provided the technological framework for the Origen project, exome sequencing data to perform individual genetic risk assessment, launched by BIOS.
About
BIOS is a technology development center focused on applied research in the areas of biotechnology and data science. BIOS launched in 2019 the Colombian Human Genome project: Origen. The main goal was contributing to public health policies and promoting the adoption of preventive medicine strategies in Colombia through the study of genetics.
Project
Paving the genomic path to preventive healthcare in Colombia
Project Origen, a flagship initiative driven by Jorge Jaramillo (Scientific director of BIOS), aimed to disseminate knowledge about genomic applications in medicine and provide preventive information to participants, ultimately improving their quality of life.
The initial phase of Project Origen involved a pilot study conducted with technological support from Genomcore. This study analyzed the exomes of the Colombian population to establish methodologies for long-term precision medicine implementation. It included sequencing exome samples, assessing genetic risk for 59 genes, and performing ancestry analysis to understand individual origins and admixture levels, which can inform the risk of prevalent heritable conditions.
Project Origen marked a crucial step towards a more proactive and personalized healthcare future for Colombia, leveraging genomic insights for the well-being of its population.
“Carrying out a genetic characterization of the Colombian people is a valuable task, because on the one hand we will really know where we come from and that great journey our ancestors made, but at the same time it is doing it from the point of view of health. Knowing, for example, which regions of Colombia could be predisposed to one disease or another, which in turn would be spectacular for medicine”