tranSMART Foundation, DNAe, Genos, And More: News From February 2017
February 27, 2017 | News, products, and partnerships from around the bio-IT community including news from tranSMART Foundation, DNAe, Genos, and more.
The tranSMART Foundation has announced the newest release of its tranSMART platform, version 16.2. This version includes significant contributions from numerous members of the tranSMART community and provides users with more advanced functionality to enhance their translational research studies. The newly developed features in version 16.2 include the SmartR plugin (ITTM/University of Luxembourg/eTRIKS), genomics-based cohort selection (Janssen), GWAS enhancements (Pfizer), GWAS PLINK integration (Clarivate Analytics), XNAT image database integration (Imperial College London and Erasmus Medical Center), and ETL enhancements (Imperial College London/eTRIKS). “As an open-source platform, tranSMART wouldn't be possible without the contributions of our community,” said Keith Elliston, CEO of The tranSMART Foundation, in a statement. “We are delighted that so many organizations have stepped up to the plate to support further development of the platform. It is a true testament to what open-source communities can offer and the value of collaboration among individuals and organizations in the scientific and technical communities.” Press release
DNA Electronics (DNAe) has announced the opening of its new US facility in preparation for commercializing its first product. DNAe also announces its new brand identity. Located in Carlsbad, California, DNAe’s new site expands its operations in the US and provides a specialized development and manufacturing base for its first product under the LiDia brand. The facility was officially opened by the Mayor of Carlsbad and Councilman Michael Schumacher with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 21st February 2017. Housing 15,000 square feet of laboratories including specialized cleanrooms and 9,000 square feet of office space, the Carlsbad site currently employs 38 people following relocation from the Company’s previous facility in Albuquerque, NM, with recruitment still ongoing. DNAe’s diagnostic platform will be named LiDia. Based on DNAe’s Genalysis DNA analysis technology, LiDia uses a combination of novel approaches, including ultra-sensitive sample preparation and semiconductor-based DNA analysis all within a single cartridge. The first LiDia test will be for bloodstream infection offering a broad test panel, capable of identifying the most critical suspected pathogens associated with bloodstream infections, as well as key antibiotic resistance markers. Press release
Genos announced that it has received Laboratory Accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The CAP Accreditation is presented to laboratories that meet stringent requirements around quality, accuracy and consistency and who demonstrate scientifically rigorous processes. “Genos is committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in laboratory practices. We’re honored to be receiving CAP accreditation,” wrote Jill MacAfee, Director of Laboratory Operations at Genos. Covered in Bio-IT World early last year, Genos’ platform launched in December 2016 to offer exome sequencing and empower individuals to participate in groundbreaking research projects on their own terms through the Impact Network. The initial set of research partners include, NantBioScience, NantKwest, Broad Institute, and the Utah Foundation for Biomedical Research. Press release
GenomeDx Biosciences has announced that it has entered into a research collaboration with Astellas to apply genomic tumor profiling using GenomeDx’s Decipher Classifier and Decipher GRID as a potential aid in the identification of prostate cancer patients undergoing active surveillance who may benefit from treatment with XTANDI (enzalutamide). As part of the agreement, Astellas will provide GenomeDx with tumor samples from its Phase 2 ENACT trial (NCT02799475), which is comparing the time to prostate cancer progression between patients treated with enzalutamide versus patients undergoing active surveillance. GenomeDx will profile all samples to provide Astellas with an analysis of tumor aggressiveness based on its Decipher Classifier score, and a Decipher GRID profile which will assess the biological behavior of a patient’s tumor based on a set of signatures that may be associated with enzalutamide response. Press release
Emulate announced today that its Organs-on-Chips technology has expanded functionality to model viral infection in a human-relevant system, opening new opportunities for studying infectious diseases and better predicting human responses to new medicines. The new applications are based on results published online today in PLOS One. The original research was led by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, the academic origin of Emulate’s technology and founding team. Emulate holds an exclusive license for Organs-on-Chips technology from the Wyss Institute for translation into commercial products, including the company’s Human Emulation System. The study in PLOS One uses the Intestine-Chip to demonstrate how a human pathogenic virus enters polarized cells in the intestine, replicates to drive the infectious disease process, and is released into the intestinal lumen. This is not possible using conventional human cell cultures. By demonstrating the release and function of a virus in a human-relevant system, Emulate’s Organs-on-Chips technology offers the potential to evaluate efficacy and safety of new medicines prior to human trials. The technology could also be applied in the future to study viruses ranging from seasonal flu, to diseases of global health concern like Ebola and Zika. Press release
DataDirect Networks (DDN) announced that Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) has implemented DDN’s GS7K parallel file storage and WOS object storage to replace fragmented data silos with powerful, scalable centralized storage for up to 2PB of instrument and research data. According to Zachary Ramjan, research computing architect for Van Andel Research Institute, consolidating primary data storage for both state-of-the-art scientific instruments and research computing offers better protection for irreplaceable data while reducing infrastructure costs considerably. The recent addition of three powerful cryo-electron microscopes (cryo-EM) enables scientists to see the structure of molecules that are one-10,000th the width of a human hair, and is expected to quadruple VARI’s storage requirements. The institute’s scientists also are conducting data-and storage-intensive trailblazing molecular dynamics simulations and large-scale sequencing projects in the search for new ways to diagnose and treat cancer, Parkinson’s, and many other diseases. Press release
The Gene Editing Institute of Christiana Care Health System’s Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute has been awarded a grant of $900,000 from the U.S.-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation in partnership with the biotechnology company NovellusDx. The BIRD Foundation promotes collaboration between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology fields for the purpose of joint product development. Projects submitted to the BIRD Foundation undergo evaluation by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U.S. Department of Commerce and by the Israel Innovation Authority. The grant allows the Gene Editing Institute to partner with Jerusalem-based NovellusDx on a new series of state-of-the-art gene editing technologies that help identify the genetic mechanism responsible for both the onset and progression of many types of cancer. The two organizations are collaborating on a licensing agreement to commercialize the gene editing technologies that result from the research. Blog