Partnership in India to develop cardiac AI dataset

Bayoshiti AI, an Indian subsidiary of Biostate AI, has partnered with Narayana Health to develop the first artificial intelligence (AI) models designed to predict cardiovascular disease in Indian populations.

The estimated 65 million Indians with coronary artery disease develop it 5–10 years earlier than most other ethnic groups in Europe and the U.S. In spite of this, Indians are still diagnosed with tools that are calibrated based on patient data from these regions that is primarily collected from non-Indian populations. To address this discrepancy, Biostate AI and Narayana Health planned a study that will train AI on the molecular data from 12,000 Indian patients at the Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences and analyze complete RNA profiles to detect heart disease before structural damage appears on conventional tests.

The collaboration aims to improve the economic viability of population-scale molecular diagnostics through the use of Biostate AI’s patented BIRT technology, which sequences complete RNA profiles by the parallel processing of multiple patient samples. Narayana Health will provide the patient population for training AI models and the clinical infrastructure to validate them.

Once the AI models are validated, the study will provide proof-of-concept for deploying similar approaches to other high-burden diseases and underserved populations, the companies said.

Partnership to address workflow reporting for sequencing panel

A new comarketing and distribution partnership between OGT and Qiagen Digital Insights will enable OGT’s SureSeq next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel customers to purchase QCI Interpret, Qiagen’s tertiary analysis software, as part of a complete SureSeq NGS workflow solution, unlocking comprehensive analysis from sample to report.

The partnership expands OGT’s bioinformatics capabilities by integrating Qiagen’s advanced tertiary analysis solution, QCI Interpret, with its SureSeq NGS panels. Built for variant interpretation and clinical reporting, QCI Interpret delivers artificial intelligence-powered, expert-curated classifications along with oncologist-reviewed summaries and transparent evidence links. Through this collaboration, SureSeq NGS panel users will gain access to streamlined, high-confidence genomic insights and efficient, scalable reporting from sample to result.

The partnership will give its customers an end-to-end NGS workflow and access to the world’s largest knowledge base, increasing customers’ confidence in variant classification, OGT officials said.

Qiagen officials said that the partnership addresses mounting challenges from the complexity and volume of NGS testing because it helps customers to scale confidently, reduce turnaround times, and improve outcomes for patients.

Collaboration focuses on atopic dermatitis

SciBase Holding recently announced expansion of its collaboration with Castle Biosciences, including a license agreement, a loan agreement, and the companies’ first joint clinical study to develop a test that predicts flares in patients diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (AD).

The two companies first entered into a collaboration and license agreement in June 2025. The expanded agreement gives Castle increased autonomy over the manufacturing process. Under the separate loan agreement, Castle will provide 20 million in Swedish krona to SciBase.

SciBase said the loan gives it necessary resources to ramp up production and maintain uninterrupted growth. The collaboration will also help the company accelerate the adoption of Nevisense, a point-of-care technology that uses electrical signals and artificial intelligence to help dermatologists more accurately detect melanoma, the company said.

Castle’s current portfolio consists of tests for skin cancers, Barrett's esophagus, and uveal melanoma. The company also has active research and development programs for tests for these diseases.

Partnership to test 100,000 patients for hereditary risk of cancer and high cholesterol

University Health Network’s (UHN) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Helix, a precision health organization, recently announced a partnership to launch one of the largest population genomics studies in Canada.

The OurGenes Study aims to enroll up to 100,000 participants over 5 years to advance precision medicine and early detection of hereditary health risks.

Study participants will receive testing for well-established genetic conditions, including hereditary breast and ovarian cancer associated with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, Lynch syndrome, and familial hypercholesterolemia.

The study’s screening results will allow participants and their healthcare teams to make proactive decisions about their health. By conducting screening at scale, the study will also allow Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to identify and address health risks that may disproportionately affect certain communities. Participants’ genetic information, which includes the entire protein-coding regions of the genome, will also be available to support future research at UHN.

Participant samples will go to Helix for whole exome sequencing. Participants will receive results, access to genetic counselling, and ongoing genomic insights about their health throughout their lifetimes.

Collaboration aims to automate single-cell transcriptomic workflows

SPT Labtech and Alithea Genomics have announced a collaboration to develop an automated solution for single-cell transcriptomics.

The collaboration integrates Alithea Genomics’ ultrasensitive single-cell RNA-sequencing technology, Mercuriu Flash-seq, with SPT Labtech’s firefly liquid handling platform, creating a scalable and reproducible workflow for transcriptomics research. The automated workflow is immediately available to customers worldwide through SPT Labtech and Alithea Genomics’ application support teams.

The collaboration addresses a bottleneck in the rapidly expanding single-cell transcriptomics field, which is driving advances in cell biology, immunology, and drug discovery. Many workflows remain limited by manual library preparation steps, which can introduce variability and constrain throughput. This collaboration aims to rectify this issue by combining firefly’s low-volume precision dispensing with Alithea Genomics’ scalable RNA-sequencing chemistry, thereby improving reproducibility, throughput, and accessibility for single-cell studies. As demand for higher-throughput, cost-efficient single-cell sequencing grows, the ability to automate sensitive RNA-sequencing protocols becomes essential for academic and research environments.

SPT Labtech officials said that the collaboration is a step toward broader automation of complex RNA workflows, supporting the growing integration of transcriptomics into translational and clinical research.

Read the full January-February issue of CLN here.