Mayo Clinic has launched an ambitious initiative to sequence the genomes of approximately one million patients, using artificial intelligence tools to integrate genetic insights directly into routine clinical care. The effort, announced on September 21, 2026, represents a significant shift toward making precision medicine a standard practice rather than a specialized service. Precure, LLC, a Mayo Clinic-controlled company established less than a week earlier with founding partner Thermo Fisher Scientific, selected Helix as its multi-omics laboratory and AI tools provider to execute this large-scale genomic project.

What Is Precure, and Why Does It Matter?

Precure, LLC was created to transform how the life sciences community understands the biological changes that occur as disease develops before symptoms appear. The company brings together three critical elements: clinical expertise from Mayo Clinic, de-identified longitudinal health information spanning years of patient records, and population-scale molecular data from hundreds of thousands of individuals. This combination creates a powerful resource for both clinical discovery and disease prevention.

The initiative addresses a fundamental challenge in modern medicine: most disease detection happens after symptoms emerge, when treatment options may be limited. By analyzing genetic and protein data from large patient populations alongside their long-term health histories, researchers can identify molecular signatures that appear years before clinical symptoms, potentially enabling earlier intervention.

How Will Helix and Precure Deliver Genomic Data at Scale?

Helix will provide both the laboratory infrastructure and advanced AI tools needed to process one million biospecimens. The partnership leverages several key capabilities:

• Sequencing Technology: Helix and Precure selected Ultima Genomics' UG200 Ultra Sequencing Platform, which will generate high-quality whole genome sequencing (WGS) data and protein-level information from thousands of samples simultaneously.
• AI-Driven Clinical Integration: Helix's AI tools are designed to translate raw genomic data into actionable clinical insights, helping physicians understand how genetic variations affect individual patient care and disease risk.
• Data Infrastructure: The partnership includes workflow orchestration, CLIA/CAP-certified genomic sequencing, and high-performance computing infrastructure to link genetic data with longitudinal clinical information.
• Multi-Omics Capability: Beyond DNA sequencing, the initiative includes research-grade proteome sequencing, which measures proteins in patient samples. Proteins are the functional molecules that carry out biological processes, making them critical for understanding disease mechanisms.

"Our goal is to generate genomic information that can help inform patient care while creating a powerful resource for discovery. We are working to make clinical whole genome sequencing and multi-omics a foundation of care, helping us detect disease sooner and act earlier," said Aaron Mangold, M.D., chief medical officer of Precure, LLC.

Aaron Mangold, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Precure, LLC

Why Is This Different From Current Genomic Medicine?

Today, whole genome sequencing is typically reserved for patients with rare genetic disorders or specific cancers. Precure's vision is to make comprehensive genomic profiling routine for all patients, similar to how blood tests or imaging scans are standard care. By sequencing one million individuals and linking their genetic data to years of clinical records, researchers can identify which genetic variants actually predict disease in real-world populations, rather than relying solely on laboratory studies or small patient cohorts.

This population-scale approach also enables the discovery of new biomarkers, which are measurable biological indicators of disease. For example, researchers might discover that a specific combination of genetic variants and protein levels predicts heart disease risk five years before symptoms appear, allowing preventive treatment to begin earlier.

How Will This Benefit Patients and Health Systems?

The initiative is designed to create new opportunities across three areas: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Prevention benefits come from identifying disease risk before symptoms emerge. Diagnostic benefits arise from using genomic data to confirm suspected conditions more accurately. Treatment benefits include matching patients to therapies based on their individual genetic profiles, a practice known as precision medicine.

"The genome is becoming an enduring patient resource, providing a precision baseline for a lifetime of care. Helix brings together the laboratory and data capabilities to make this possible at scale," said James Lu, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Helix.

James Lu, M.D., Ph.D., CEO at Helix

Mayo Clinic's involvement is structured to advance its nonprofit mission. Any financial returns from Precure will be reinvested into patient care, research, and education, ensuring that the initiative remains focused on improving health outcomes rather than maximizing profits.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Genomic Medicine?

Precure represents a shift from genomics as a specialized diagnostic tool to genomics as a foundational component of routine care. If successful, the initiative could demonstrate that population-scale genomic sequencing is both technically feasible and clinically valuable, potentially encouraging other health systems to adopt similar approaches. The combination of AI tools, advanced sequencing technology, and longitudinal clinical data creates a model that other institutions may seek to replicate.

The project also highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in translating raw biological data into clinical insights. While sequencing technology has become faster and cheaper over the past decade, the challenge of interpreting genetic information remains significant. AI tools that can identify patterns across millions of genomes and link those patterns to patient outcomes are essential for realizing the promise of precision medicine at scale.