As predicted, COVID and flu cases are officially on the rise in line with the winter season. Here are our top takeaways for the week: COVID cases are up 55% over the last 2 weeks (as are hospitalizations and deaths), with the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants officially dominating. The two variants make up >50% of  … Read more

As the Chief Physician Executive of WellSpan Health, Dr. Anthony Aquilina sees meaningful benefits of getting genetic insights into the hands of the providers. WellSpan Health and Helix recently announced a new partnership to create a comprehensive population-scale genetic screening program for Pennsylvanians. We sat down to chat with Dr. Aquilina about the value he  … Read more

Genetic screening for definite Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) looks for pathogenic variants in the LDLR, APOB, or PCSK9 genes, as not everyone with a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease has FH. Health professionals recommend genetic testing when an individual’s relatives have been previously diagnosed with FH or based upon physical examination for symptoms  … Read more

Our latest COVID and flu insights as you start prepping for the holidays. Top takeaways: For the first time since July, we are seeing slight increases in COVID positivity rates, with highest growth in individuals 18-24 years old. COVID cases look to be rising slightly now, specifically in 18-24 year olds. While it initially looked  … Read more

Genomics is a powerful tool for improving health outcomes in both individuals and the population as a whole. Population-level genomic studies are essential to lay the groundwork for effective genomic screening of individuals, but genomic data from many underserved communities is lacking. Developing effective outreach to these communities can be difficult as standard approaches for  … Read more

The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) fall meeting presents an opportunity for research leaders from around the globe to share the latest in innovative scientific content. In case you were unable to attend, we’ve summarized the groundbreaking insights on actionable genetic associations that Helix presented, in partnership with Renown Health and the Healthy Nevada  … Read more

Here are our latest COVID and flu insights before your weekend. Top takeaways: While flu continues to rise in young children, COVID positivity is highest in older individuals. Both flu and COVID are now showing test positivity of ~10% for individuals under 18 years old. This is up from <1% in August for flu and  … Read more

All it takes is a few scrolls through LinkedIn and Twitter, and it’s clear that health disparities and the need for greater health equity are being talked about by more and more organizations across the healthcare industry. There is consensus that health equity is important and that health systems will need to actively and sustainably  … Read more

Germline genetic testing and somatic genetic testing are two types of testing that are used to examine an individual's genetic makeup. Both types have been available since the early 1990s when techniques for identifying genetic changes were first developed, but the ability to perform them has improved significantly over the years as newer technologies and  … Read more

What is Cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy is a progressive heart muscle disease that can be acquired or inherited. This condition makes it increasingly difficult for the heart to pump blood throughout the body due to the weakening heart muscle. As cardiomyopathy progresses, patients might experience symptoms of fatigue, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia), syncope, etc.  Genetic Considerations for Cardiomyopathy  … Read more