Standardized benchmarking approaches are required to assess the accuracy of variants called from sequence data. Here, as part of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), we present a benchmarking framework for variant calling. We provide guidance on how to match variant calls with different representations, define standard performance metrics, and stratify performance by variant type and genome context. Our approach has been piloted in the PrecisionFDA variant-calling challenges to identify the best-in-class variant-calling methods within high-confidence regions. Finally, we recommend a set of best practices for using our tools and evaluating the results.

A top reviewer in US FDA's in vitro diagnostics office offers tips to next-generation sequencing test sponsors to avoid common submission shortcomings in this interview with Medtech Insight. According to FDA's Hisani Madison, sponsors frequently fall short in providing a refined intended-use statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today granted accelerated approval to a treatment for patients whose cancers have a specific genetic feature (biomarker). This is the first time the agency has approved a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated.

New in May 2017, the NGS Reference Virus Database version 10.2 (unclustered and clustered).

In support of the White House’s Precision Medicine Initiative, the FDA issued two draft guidances that offer a streamlined approach to the oversight of ‘Next Generation Sequencing’ tests that detect medically important differences in a person’s genomic makeup.