PerkinElmer hosts Medical Genomics Seminars in India

PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd (PEHS), a screening and diagnostic laboratory of PerkinElmer, Inc. today announced that it has kicked off a series of seminars for neurologists, paediatricians and gynaecologists in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mangalore, India.

These events serve as an ideal platform for discussing PerkinElmer's recently launched affordable gene panels, whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) services using next generation sequencing and other complementary assays to address the broad range of genetic disorders.

At the first conference, which took place in Delhi, Dr. Madhuri Hegde, Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, PerkinElmer Diagnostic Laboratory Services, delivered a talk, 'Simplifying Genomics: Transforming Complexity into Meaning' to a group of clinicians.

Starting her presentation, Dr. Hegde said, "A growing interest in personalized medicine calls for genome sequencing in clinical diagnostics, but major challenges must be addressed before its full potential can be realized. This talk on a medical genetic testing algorithm will help clinicians select the most appropriate molecular diagnostic tool for each scenario." Dr. Hegde also serves on the board of ACMG Foundation for Genetics and Genomic Medicine and is an Adjunct Professor of Genetics and Paediatrics at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. IC Verma, a pioneer in the field of Genetic Medicine joined the session in Delhi and commented: "This is a most exciting time in genetics. As a result of the new genomic sequencing technologies, we can arrive at a diagnosis in many more patients than before. Finding the variation in genes is leading to the development of new treatments for the genetic disorders. The medical professionals must take advantage of the genomic tests being offered in India at an affordable rate. The genetic tests enable screening of couples for being carriers of genetic disorders, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis to prevent disease and the possibility of new treatments."

Dr. Verma is a renowned medical geneticist. He received genetics training in the UK, USA & Switzerland. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He has received a number of national awards - Ranbaxy Science Award, ICMR, NAMS and BC Roy Medical Council award. He is a Member and Vice-chairman of the Ethics Committee of the International Human Genome Organization (HUGO) and serves as an adviser in genetics to the WHO in Geneva, and to Roche Genetics in Basel.

"The launch of our genetics service is all about providing quality and specialized service to clinicians in India. Dr. Hegde brings our customers high confidence in PerkinElmer's quality sample analysis and reporting," said Jayashree Thacker, President, PerkinElmer India. "We have been observing a high demand of sequencing services for rare inherited disease. Combining these offerings with our current portfolio will help address the evolving needs of our customers."

PerkinElmer now offers its customers a global genomic lab testing platform that performs screening and diagnostic testing, specializing in newborn screening and high throughput next generation sequencing for rare inherited diseases.