Monrovia, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/21/2012 -- Next-generation sequencing is undergoing accelerating translation into the clinical realm and is transforming the research sequencing landscape. Several clinical diagnostic tests are available that employ next-generation sequencing and many companies/laboratories have announced launch dates and development plans for additional tests. Some of these products afford improvements on existing themes by harnessing the capacity of next-generation sequencers to increase clinical sensitivity by analyzing disease loci more comprehensively than previously possible. Other products exploit unique characteristics of next-generation sequencing methods to enable entirely new diagnostic assays. These technologies have enabled a plethora of new discoveries by allowing us to answer questions more cost-effectively than in past and ask questions that were impossible to address by capillary electrophoresis sequencing or high density chip platforms.

The Clinical Sequencing Workshop, being held on May 29th, 2012 at the Hyatt Harborside in Boston, MA, is a half-day pre-conference workshop to the Omics Evolution Summit. The workshop will present an overview of these product categories focusing upon product profiles and technical underpinnings as well as discuss from a user’s perspective the many issues of the implementation of Next-Generation Sequencing into the clinical space.

Attendees will have a chance to discuss with presenters the issues of clinical sequencing as well as experiencing firsthand available sequencing technology and analytic tools for clinical research and data. Topics that will be covered:

- Emerging Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies and its Clinical Applications
- The Implementation of Next-Generation Sequencing in a CLIA Laboratory - Issues and Challenges
- Translation of Next-Generation Sequencing from Research Applications to a Standardized Lab Developed Test in a CLIA Environment
- Measuring and Ensuring Quality in Next-Generation Sequencing

This workshop is part of the Omics Evolution Summit which consists of six concurrent conferences:

2nd Next Generation Sequencing
2nd Genomic & Proteomic Drug Discovery
Genome-wide Partnering and Deal-making
2nd Epigenetics in Drug Discovery
3rd RNAi Research and Development
7th Protein Kinases in Drug Discovery

For more information, please visit http://www.gtcbio.com