Company Announcements

Consumer DNA firm Gene by Gene acquired sequencing data management firm Arpeggi in August.

Illumina partnered with Global Genomics Group to investigate novel biomarkers and biological pathways involved in the development and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Illumina will conduct whole-genome sequencing as part of a pan-omic study.

In September, Illumina applied the EU’s CE mark to expand use of the MiSeq DX system. Labs can now develop diagnostic tests with the MiSeq DX Universal Kit.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced in November that Illumina exclusively licensed the rights to nanopore sequencing technology developed by Jens Gundlach, PhD, and Michael Niederweis, PhD.

The University of Cambridge, Genomics England and Illumina announced a three-year project to sequence 10,000 whole genomes of people with rare genetic diseases. Illumina will deliver whole-genome sequence data.

In October, Hamilton Robotics and New England Biolab (NEB) announced a collaboration to develop automated solutions for NEB’s reagent line for next generation sequencing (NGS) sample preparation for use with Ion Torrent and Roche 454 systems.

CLC and BioBam Bioinformatics combined their respective CLC Genomics Workbench and Blast2GO PRO plugin to create an integrated workflow.

In October, Life Technologies announced that its Ion AmpliSeq Exome Certified Service Provider Program added 11 new members.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies raised £40 million ($64 million) in new funding through a private placement.

Product Introductions

Real Time Genomics released in August rtgSingleton for the genomic analysis of individual samples.

Bio-Rad Laboratories introduced in September the ddPCR library quantification kit for Ion Torrent for use with its QX200 Droplet Digital PCR system.

In October, Pacific Biosciences introduced the new P5 polymerase and C3 chemistry combination, which extends the PacBio RS II system’s sequence read length to an average of 8,500 bases, with the longest reads exceeding 30,000 bases. The release also includes the new HGAP 2 assembler, which decreases the time required to perform de novo genome assembly.

Illumina launched the TruSight One Sequencing Panel, targeting 4,813 genes with known associated clinical phenotypes. The release also includes expanded annotation and filtering capabilities for the VariantStudio software.

In October, QIAGEN introduced the Empowered Genome Community, an initiative to unite people who have had their genomes sequenced.

GenoLogics introduced the cloud-based Clarity Run Manager LIMS and Clarity Run Manager Plus LIMS.