An overview of tools for post-analysis of high-throughput sequencing data in clinical study / 中华医学遗传学杂志

With the advance of high-throughout sequencing technology and its extensive application in clinical diagnosis, analysis of sequencing data has become an important part of clinical diagnosis. To date, the development and establishment of various software and databases have made it convenient to extract useful information from massive amounts of high-throughput sequencing data. However, it is still a challenge for correlating the clinical-genetic diagnosis based on the above-mentioned sequence data with the screened DNA variations and disease phenotypes. Further validation of the proposed pathogenesis with the discovered molecular defects are required. Here a comprehensive review is provided for the strategies of sequencing data analysis, commonly used phenotype-genotype correlation tools, and functional analysis and verification methods for the genetic diagnosis.

Discussion on the standard of clinical genetic testing report and the consensus of gene testing industry / 中华医学遗传学杂志

The widespread application of next generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical settings has enabled testing, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic diseases. However, many issues have arisen in the meanwhile. One of the most pressing issues is the lack of standards for reporting genetic test results across different service providers. The First Forum on Standards and Specifications for Clinical Genetic Testing was held to address the issue in Shenzhen, China, on October 28, 2017. Participants, including geneticists, clinicians, and representatives of genetic testing service providers, discussed problems of clinical genetic testing services across in China and shared opinions on principles, challenges, and standards for reporting clinical genetic test results. Here we summarize expert opinions presented at the seminar and report the consensus, which will serve as a basis for the development of standards and guidelines for reporting of clinical genetic testing results, in order to promote the standardization and regulation of genetic testing services in China.