Helix Launches Research Access Program Giving Academic Researchers Clinicogenomic Data

Helix launched its Research Access Program on November 11, 2026, inviting academic and nonprofit researchers to apply for access to linked clinicogenomic data from the Helix Research Network for approved projects. The program gives a select group of researchers access to what the company calls North America's largest available clinicogenomic dataset, PR Newswire reported.

How the Helix Research Access Program Works

Researchers from non-commercial research institutions can register interest in the program, and access is granted to a limited number of approved projects. Approved researchers work with Helix's linked clinicogenomic datasets through Helix Research Workspaces, the Trusted Research Environment, in Explorer. The company said participants can securely explore the genetic basis of disease, characterize genetic variation across clinical populations and generate new evidence to support precision medicine research.

William Lee, Ph.D., Chief Science and Product Officer at Helix, said: "By expanding secure access to our clinicogenomic data through the Helix Research Access Program, we aim to help the academic community accelerate discoveries that can improve care for more patients." Lee added that the studies presented at ASHG 2026 show genomics at scale identifying people with actionable health risks before disease emerges and helping clinicians intervene earlier.

The launch follows two studies presented at the American Society of Human Genetics 2026 Annual Meeting, drawn from the same Helix Research Network data. A three-year outcomes study of 527K participants screened for CDC Tier 1 conditions, including Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Lynch Syndrome and Familial Hypercholesterolemia, found that within one year of receiving results the share of eligible carriers who started or intensified preventive treatment or underwent risk-reducing surgery nearly doubled, from roughly 1 in 5 to 1 in 3. Among participants who began condition-specific screening, carriers were six to eight times more likely than non-carriers to have a finding within one year: 32.6% versus 5.6% for elevated LDL cholesterol in FH, 4.2% versus 0.7% for breast cancer in HBOC, and 2.1% versus 0.3% for colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome.

A second study found that participants with rare GLP1R variants associated with impaired receptor function lost 2.4% of weight on semaglutide versus 8.8% in matched non-carriers, while carriers responded normally to tirzepatide, with 13.3% versus 15.2% weight loss in matched non-carriers.

Helix's Data Platform and Partner Network

Helix crossed 500,000 linked clinico-genomic records on GenoSphere and introduced the AI-enabled Explorer Cohort Builder in June 2026, enabling natural-language cohort creation in minutes rather than weeks, according to akta.pro company records. The same records list 1,500,000+ lives in Enterprise Genomics across Helix's health system partners and 500,000+ exomes sequenced cumulatively at its CLIA/CAP lab. Helix was founded in 2015, is headquartered in San Mateo, and has total funding of $403 million, the records show.

Helix's Path to the Research Access Program

In September 2026, Helix and Databricks launched Helix Research Workspaces, the Trusted Research Environment for population-scale clinicogenomic research, PR Newswire reported. In October 2026, LCMC Health and Helix announced Uniquely You, a five-year initiative offering no-cost genetic screening to 100,000 Louisiana adults, with enrollment beginning early 2027. Also in October 2026, Helix said it would present three-year outcomes from population genomic screening at the opening plenary of ASHG 2026 in Montreal, drawing on a network that includes over 620,000 paired EHR, claims and genomics records across 17 health systems.

ASHG 2026 Presentation Dates

The CDC Tier 1 screening study was presented as a plenary at ASHG 2026 on October 20, 2026. The GLP1R study was presented as a platform presentation on October 22, 2026.