Qiagen acquires Genoox AI-powered software
Qiagen recently announced it has agreed to acquire Genoox, which provides software powered by artificial intelligence (AI) for scaling and speeding processing of complex genetic tests.
The acquisition adds Franklin, Genoox’s flagship cloud-based community platform, to the Qiagen Digital Insights (QDI) portfolio. Franklin allows labs to analyze next-generation sequencing data from targeted gene panels and genomic sequencing, and it delivers real-time, AI-driven insights to support clinical decision-making. Applications range from diagnosing genetic disorders and informing cancer treatments to supporting family planning decisions.
More than 4,000 healthcare organizations in over 50 countries use Franklin, which has powered more than 750,000 case interpretations to date, Qiagen said.
The acquisition also creates a path to integrate Qiagen’s genomic content into the Franklin platform. This content includes the Human Gene Mutation Database, the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer, and the Qiagen Knowledge Base — all of which power the company’s leading QCI Interpret and QCI Precision Insights solutions, Qiagen said.
These future integrations will expand Franklin’s interpretive power, which will in turn improve diagnostic yield, turnaround time, and scalability for clinical labs, Qiagen added.
Collaboration aims at Parkinson’s disease
FYR recently announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic intended to advance use of blood-based biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research and clinical applications.
FYI, a biotechnology company leveraging extracellular vesicles (EVs) to observe disease and treatment responses, said that under the agreement, it will collaborate with Mayo Clinic to discover EV biomarkers associated with PD. Current areas of interest for collaboration include identifying biomarkers associated with disease progression and subtypes. These biomarkers could potentially lead to the development of tools, processes, and services with clinical and commercial applications.
The collaboration will involve FYR’s EV-Omics (EVO) platform, which uses valuable information from EVs. EVs from diseased cells carry cargo rich with proteins, RNA, and DNA, which provide detailed insights on disease mechanisms. FYR’s technology enriches brain-derived EVs to enhance the signal and detection of disease-associated material. By analyzing EVs in blood samples from PD patients, FYR aims to improve the identification and tracking of molecular changes in the disease.
FYR officials said they are eager to combine their technology with Mayo Clinic expertise to address unmet PD needs and potentially advance precision care.
Deal to make ordering Grail liquid biopsy easier
A new Grail partnership with athenahealth will integrate the ordering of Grail’s Galleri multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test into athenaCoordinator Core, a service to help healthcare facilities streamline laboratory order transmission and care coordination. The integration will be provided through athenaOne, athenahealth’s cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) solution. This integration will allow over 160,000 U.S. clinicians on the athenahealth network to more seamlessly order Galleri directly in the EHR.
The prescription-only Galleri test is recommended for adults with an elevated risk of cancer and is to be used in addition to recommended cancer screenings. After clinicians order the test, patients can take the order to blood draw appointments. Results automatically will be available in the patient chart, reducing manual entry and administrative burden for clinician practices, Grail said.
Source BioScience acquires Cambridge Clinical Laboratories
Source BioScience recently announced it has completed its acquisition of Cambridge Clinical Laboratories (CCL).
The acquisition bolsters its diagnostics portfolio by leveraging CCL expertise and state-of-the-art clinical lab facilities, enabling streamlined testing services for both preclinical and clinical research, Source BioScience said. CCL provides personalized healthcare diagnostic services spanning oncology, virology, men’s health, gastroenterology, and fertility, as well as validation studies for clinical research to both the United Kingdom’s National Health Service and private customers worldwide.
The acquisition expands Source BioScience’s existing clinical offerings — which include molecular diagnostics, digital pathology, and clinical trial support — to provide a complete laboratory service portfolio, the company said. The deal also allows researchers to progress candidates through research and development to preclinical and clinical stages with one specialist outsourcing partner, minimizing resource requirements and data bias across the entire development process. Researchers will have the option for additional support in clinical research and diagnostics.
CCL staff and assets will be transferred to the new clinical facilities at the existing site for Source Genomics, which is a part of Source BioScience. This step will allow for expanding existing services, exploring new capabilities for future projects, increasing opportunities for collaboration between genomics and clinical services teams, and providing customers with deeper insights into their data, Source BioScience said.
Valley Diagnostics and Sona Nanotech to advance bovine TB assay commercialization
Valley Diagnostics (ValleyDX), a Welsh diagnostics company developing next generation point-of-care lateral flow diagnostic kits, recently announced a deal to establish a licensing agreement with Sona Nanotech for the commercialization of a bovine tuberculosis (bTB) assay.
Sona developed the assay using ValleyDX biomarker intellectual property under license from Aberystwyth University in Wales. The intellectual property was derived from groundbreaking research at the university, ValleyDX said in a statement.
“[The] bTB lateral flow assay developed by Sona has the potential to be a game changer in the fight against bovine tuberculosis,” ValleyDX officials said.
The agreement gives ValleyDX exclusive rights to the bTB lateral flow assay for the United Kingdom and Ireland with first refusal for additional territories. The agreement also outlines a milestone-based licensing structure with the aim of ensuring that commercial scalabilities for all parties will be aligned to market success.
bTB remains a significant challenge for the agricultural industry. Currently, a bTB diagnosis is confirmed through postmortem examination and tissue culture, a process that can take up to 12 weeks. Infected and exposed animals are typically destroyed, causing substantial losses to farmers. The disease is a pressing issue in Europe.
“This test has the potential to have a significant positive impact on how bTB is managed and help in the eradication of this disease from the U.K. and Ireland,” Sona Nanotech officials said.
