DNAnexus Platform Enables Researchers to Access and Analyze Biomedical Data for Largest Health Research Program in Mexico

Mexico City Prospective Study is a strategic collaboration between Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Oxford Population Health 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — June 27, 2023 — DNAnexus Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based genomic and biomedical data access and companion analysis software, today announced its platform is being used by researchers to access and analyze data from the Mexico City Prospective Study, the largest population health research study of its kind in Mexico. Under the terms of the agreement, approved scientists will be able to use DNAnexus’ environment for accessing and analyzing the large-scale dataset and tools to drive biological insights and advance precision medicine.

The Mexico City Prospective Study reflects a long-standing collaboration between Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and Oxford Population Health. More than 150,000 participants provided physical measurements, blood samples, and information about their lifestyles and disease history. Under this new collaboration with DNAnexus and Amazon Web Services (AWS), researchers can now link the participants to national mortality records from the last two decades to study how social, lifestyle, physical, metabolic, and genetic factors influence the major causes of death in Mexican adults. 

“Our work with Oxford Population Health, DNAnexus, and AWS presents a unique opportunity for researchers in Mexico to advance medical research for the people of Mexico,” said Jesús Alegre-Díaz, Professor of Epidemiology at UNAM and Principal Investigator for the Mexico City Prospective Study. “Data collected by the Mexico City Prospective Study will be used to solve some of the most pressing health challenges faced by the world today.”

“The Mexico City Prospective Study was designed to help improve our understanding of how diseases affect specific populations which in turn can help us develop more effective treatments,” said Jonathan Emberson, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and UK Principal Investigator for the Mexico City Prospective Study. “Together with our partners at UNAM, we are excited to work with DNAnexus and AWS to make this rich and vital information more accessible and cost-effective for a broader range of researchers.”

Today, DNAnexus has more than 12,000 users across 48 countries and actively manages and supports more than 80 petabytes of complex proteomic, genomic, multi-omic, and clinical datasets on behalf of a growing network of collaborators. The company provides a comprehensive cloud platform designed to meet the most rigorous standards for quality, security, privacy, and safety.

“We are honored to be part of this exciting collaboration with UNAM, Oxford Population Health, and AWS,” said Richard Daly, CEO at DNAnexus. “From this Mexico Prospective Study to the UK Biobank to Our Future Health, the DNAnexus platform continues to be the trusted platform of choice for the world’s largest biomedical research programs.  We are proud to play a role in these transformational projects that empower more researchers to accelerate the era of precision medicine.”

Researchers in Mexico can apply for access to the Mexico City Prospective Study genetic data on the DNAnexus platform now. For more information, please visit https://www.ctsu.ox.ac.uk/research/mcps.

About DNAnexus

DNAnexus is a leading provider of secure, scalable, and intuitive biomedical data analysis software and bioinformatics applications for the life sciences and healthcare communities. The company actively manages and supports more than 80 petabytes of complex genomic, multi-omic, and clinical datasets on behalf of a growing network of collaborations with large-scale biobanks, as well as leading pharmaceutical, clinical diagnostic, academic research, and government organizations. Scientists across 48 countries are now using the highly collaborative, cloud-based, end-to-end platform to gain data-driven insights that can advance scientific discovery, accelerate precision medicine, and improve patient care. For more information on DNAnexus, please visit www.dnanexus.comor follow the company @DNAnexus.