LabTwin, AbCellera, X4, And More: News From June 2019

July 1, 2019

July 1, 2019 | June featured exciting new, products, and partnerships from around the bio-IT community from innovating companies, organizations, and universities, including LabTwin, AbCellera, X4, and more.

LabTwin announced its new open API that will connect scientists with data sources both inside and outside of the lab. LabTwin will enable scientists to instantly access external databases as well as data streams from other sources such as lab equipment and informatics systems. With LabTwin’s open API, R&D groups will be able to easily integrate real-time, scientifically accurate information into their daily workflows. Most lab tools cannot move content across devices, and therefore, pieces of information are fragmented across different tools and platforms. With its new API, LabTwin removes data silos, eliminates the data graveyard and empowers scientists with real-time data capture and on-demand access to important information, all in one central location. "LabTwin is designing experiences for scientists that are consistent across devices and continuous when moving from one device to another," Magdalena Paluch, CEO and co-founder at LabTwin, said in a press release. "With the launch of our new API, we can create a whole ecosystem for scientists, connecting our digital assistant’s voice interface with applications and databases, and make this data instantly accessible from anywhere in the lab." Press release

CognitiveScale has expanded its strategic relationship with Microsoft to further accelerate adoption of CognitiveScale's Cortex software amongst businesses using Microsoft Azure. Built on open and extensible specifications, Cortex simplifies the design, development, delivery and management of cognitive business processes that get smarter and better with time. In recent tests, Cortex successfully reduced AI build time by 65% and overall AI DevOps time by 94% through its unique virtualization technology. With CognitiveScale Cortex now deeply integrated with Microsoft Azure and available on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, businesses will be able to quickly deploy the full Cortex product suite in their Azure cloud environment. Cortex software also now integrates seamlessly with a suite of Azure models ranging from Natural Language Processing (NLP) to Computer Vision that can be used by enterprises to speed up their AI system development. Having worked together since April 2017 to bring industry specific cognitive systems jointly to the market, the collaboration will enable businesses to quickly and easily deploy the Cortex platform and agents, reducing time and cost of deployment, which are major considerations when adopting AI platforms. The expansion also reaffirms Azure as CognitiveScale’s preferred cloud provider. Press release

AbCellera announced it has entered into an agreement with Gilead to support the discovery of therapeutic antibody candidates for infectious diseases. AbCellera will apply its expertise in single-cell screening of natural immune sources to generate rich panels of antibody candidates for evaluation by Gilead. Under the agreement, AbCellera will receive upfront and research payments and is eligible to receive downstream clinical and commercial milestone payments and royalties on net sales of products. Leveraging a suite of proprietary technologies, AbCellera's team can interrogate millions of single B cells in a campaign, an approach that has proven successful in identifying low-frequency subsets of antibodies among large and diverse panels of binders. In this collaboration, AbCellera will be looking for ultra-rare antibodies with specific properties defined by Gilead, a challenging problem that demands screening depths that are orders of magnitude higher than alternative discovery approaches. Press release

Synthego announced the launch of the Gene Knockout Kit v2. This is the only product that leverages a novel bioinformatics- powered multi-guide strategy to guarantee a gene knockout. The kit will accelerate research by saving scientists from multiple trial-and-error cycles in optimizing their CRISPR experiment. The Gene Knockout Kit v2 Kit includes:

  • Smart Informatics - Multi-guide design delivers complete gene knockout.
  • Quick Access - Kit ships in 10 days.
  • Guaranteed Success - Achieve protein-level knockout or your money back.
  • Complete Your Experiment - Cas9 2NLS and Transfection Optimization Kit are optional add-ons.
  • Streamlined Analysis - Purchase includes free access to ICE CRISPR Analysis Tool

The Gene Knockout Kit v2 is Synthego’s newest addition to the CRISPRevolution product portfolio, giving researchers access to the only bioinformatics-powered CRISPR knockout kit available. Once a researcher chooses their gene of interest, Synthego will deliver high-quality synthetic multi-guide sgRNA in 10 days. Each kit includes one tube of chemically modified multi-guide sgRNA, designed to target any human protein-coding gene. If a researcher does not achieve knockout at the protein level, Synthego offers a money-back guarantee. Press release

X4 and Invitae announced a partnership to provide genetic testing at no cost to patients through its collaborative PATH4WARD program. This initiative provides greater access to faster and earlier diagnosis for individuals who may carry a genetic mutation known to be associated with WHIM syndrome and Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN) – a group of rare inherited primary immunodeficiencies (PIs). "Rare diseases such as WHIM and SCN, don't often receive the attention and research that patients and their families deserve in order to discover and develop new therapeutic options," said Paula Ragan, President and Chief Executive Officer of X4 Pharmaceuticals, in a press release. "Working with a strong and committed partner like Invitae allows us to facilitate quick and accurate diagnoses for patients, which can have a profound impact on their disease management and overall quality of life. Simultaneously, this partnership provides X4 with a clear path to gather critical data to identify the underlying genetic causes of PIs and deepen our understanding of these patients' potential to respond to novel investigational therapies." In addition to providing genetic testing to individuals who may present with a clinical picture known to be associated with WHIM or SCN, PATH4WARD will offer genetic counseling, as well as family variant testing (FVT) for all blood relatives of patients found to have a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant at no additional charge. If the initial testing does not show mutations associated with WHIM or SCN, physicians will be able to access a broader PI panel through the program for expanded patient testing. Press release

Cofactor Genomics announced that they have become a member of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium with the goal of advancing the adoption of multidimensional biomarkers in cancer and immune-related diseases. Formally launched in 2006, the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium is a major public-private biomedical research partnership managed by the FNIH with broad participation from stakeholders across biomedical research, including government, industry, academia and patient advocacy and other not-for-profit organizations. In addition to the FNIH, founding members include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and BIO. The FNIH Biomarkers Consortium brings together the expertise and resources of various partners to rapidly identify, develop and seek qualification of potential high-impact biomarkers particularly to enable improvements in drug development, clinical care and regulatory decision-making. "Cofactor is pleased to be working together alongside the FNIH, NIH and FDA to accomplish our shared goals of improving predictive medicine through advanced biomarkers," Cofactor CEO, Jarret Glasscock, said in a press release. "While other technologies stop at delivering data that require additional analysis or interpretation, we're eager to see how Predictive Immune Modeling can fast track some of the valuable information these project teams have been seeking." Press release

GenScript announced a significant upgrade to its GenBrick Gene Synthesis platform, bringing researchers access to DNA sequences up to 200kb long with 100% accuracy. Building on GenScript's expertise in molecular biology and gene synthesis, GenBrick employs a newly developed proprietary technology for accurate and efficient one-step DNA assembly. "GenBrick addresses the significant challenge of extremely low efficiency in the "build" phase of synthetic biology projects, which ultimately leads to novel ideas being delayed or cancelled," Cedric Wu, GenScript Vice President of R&D, said in a press release. "As a pioneer in gene synthesis, we are proud to add very long DNA sequences to our GenBrick service, giving researchers a one-stop shop for any natural or de novo synthetic DNA sequence, gene or genome, regardless of size or complexity." Press release

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has expanded its SureSeq portfolio with a complete library preparation solution for hybridization-based target capture in NGS, making its market-leading coverage uniformity and expertise even more accessible. As well as updating and refining the library preparation workflow—including the addition of automation support—OGT’s SureSeq NGS Library Preparation Kit now includes a new, ready-to-use hybridization and wash buffer that further simplifies this key step. NGS is increasingly employed as a central technology in scientific and medical research, and as such, NGS data quality is of the utmost importance. Library preparation for targeted sequencing can be performed using either hybridization or amplicon technology. While amplicon methods are often faster, it is widely accepted that hybridization produces superior data quality, with exceptional depth and coverage uniformity and the ability to sequence accurately more challenging regions of the genome. OGT is a specialist in hybridization, reflected in its portfolio and its history—the company was founded by Sir Edwin Southern—and its unique expertise and experience is unrivalled in the market. With this expertise, the company has been able to transform hybridization for NGS, successfully streamlining the library preparation protocol with reduced manual handling and a rapid hybridization step that delivers increased reliability as well as throughput. With hybridization times now down to as little as 30 minutes, SureSeq provides easy access to all of the benefits of hybridization while breaking down the barriers to its implementation - enabling scientists to get from sample to sequencer in just one day. Press release

Synlogic and Ginkgo Bioworks announced a platform collaboration to accelerate expansion and development of Synlogic’s pipeline of Synthetic Biotic medicines using Ginkgo's cell programming platform. The agreement provides an $80.0 million equity investment at a premium in Synlogic by Ginkgo and entry into a long-term strategic platform collaboration. Synlogic will use Ginkgo's cell programming platform for building and testing thousands of microbial strains to accelerate progression of early preclinical leads to drug candidates optimized for further clinical development. "This collaboration significantly enhances Synlogic's Synthetic Biotic strain optimization capabilities and builds on the successful pilot program we began with Ginkgo in late 2017. It enables us to advance high-quality candidate strains into development more efficiently and provides technology and resources that will fuel pipeline expansion as we continue to advance our existing clinical programs," said Aoife Brennan, Synlogic’s president and chief executive officer, in a press release. "Ginkgo has built a world-class infrastructure for programming and optimizing microbial strains at a large scale which will be instrumental in the development of our portfolio of Synthetic Biotic medicines. We are excited to establish this agreement and to work together to advance meaningful treatments for patients." Press release

Purigen announced the completion of a $26.4 million Series B financing. The latest round of funding was led by Agilent Technologies and included participation from new investor Cota Capital, along with existing investors 5AM Ventures and Roche Venture Fund. Purigen will use the proceeds from the financing to expand its scientific and commercial operations, accelerate the launch of its core isotachophoresis (ITP) sample preparation platform, and support the development of new features for future applications. Purigen’s proprietary technology allows for the automated extraction of DNA and RNA with dramatically increased yields and improved purity from a wide range of sample types, including cultured or sorted cells, fresh or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, liquid biopsies, and buccal swabs. As part of the investment round, Purigen announced that Kevin Corcoran, Vice President and General Manager at Agilent Technologies, will join the company’s Board of Directors. "Agilent is continually looking to invest in complementary technologies that will underlie tomorrow’s breakthroughs in life sciences, diagnostics, and applied markets," Corcoran said in a press release. "We believe Purigen's proprietary ITP platform offers key advantages and will help to significantly improve sample yields and their integrity." Press release

FUJIFILM announced an initial $10M USD investment to establish a full scale, fully integrated continuous processing facility for non-GMP manufacture of biopharmaceuticals at its FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Billingham, UK location. This perfusion-based facility represents the culmination of 3 years of in-house innovation by Fujifilm group companies and includes the introduction of patented, disruptive downstream bioprocessing technology to the biopharmaceutical industry. Fujifilm's advanced upstream perfusion process utilizes a proprietary process control system with automatic feedback control for cell density and nutrient addition to maintain steady state conditions. Perfusion is a cell culture manufacturing process that involves the constant feeding of fresh media and processing of harvested media over several weeks. Fujifilm has developed an in-house, defined medium suitable for very high density perfusion culture and has adapted its ApolloX cell line for perfusion processing. This system offers a compelling, cost effective alternative to traditional fed batch cell culture processes given high efficiency and superior and consistent product quality (given reduced degradation and aggregation). Fujifilm has developed and patented a novel multi-functional system for downstream purification and is able to deliver all required unit operations including chromatography, ultra and dia-filtration (UFDF), single pass tangential flow (SP-TFF), viral inactivation and filtration and point of use in-line preparation of buffers within a common single-use flow paths. This technology can be deployed in both batch and continuous processing environments. Press release

Certara and Monash University announced the recipients of the inaugural Certara-Monash University Industry Drug Development Fellowships–Dr. Katrina Hui, Dr. Yu-Wei Lin, and Dr. Zheng Liu. This fellowship program was designed by Certara and Monash University to help prepare the next generation of industry-experienced drug development scientists through training in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics and regulatory science. Based at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the program provides a combination of academic coursework, hands-on industry training, international industry/academic placements, and research. The fellowship program is designed to address the industry growth and increased need for global talent in drug development and regulatory sciences. The fellows will contribute to the planning, execution and analysis of pre-clinical and clinical drug development and pivotal clinical trials leading to regulatory submission in Australia. Dr. Hui received her PhD in Pharmacy Practice from Monash University and is now using population pharmacokinetic (PK) methods to develop a model for inhaled oxytocin as a postdoctoral research fellow at the university. The goal for this project is to be able to use inhaled rather than injected oxytocin to protect pregnant women from potentially fatal hemorrhages during or after the birth of their babies in developing countries. Dr. Lin received his PhD in Pharmacy from the Advanced Drug Delivery Group at the University of Sydney, Australia. He specializes in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling, quantitative systems pharmacology modeling, and antimicrobial systems pharmacology research, which enable him to help optimize antimicrobial dosage regimens. Dr. Liu received his PhD in Process Modeling in Chemical Engineering from Aalto University in Finland. He is now conducting population PK/PD modeling and clinical trial design as a pharmacometrician at the University of Newcastle and Royal Children's Hospital in the UK. In tandem, he is also serving as a pharmacometrician in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago in New Zealand, where he is performing parameter regression and data analysis under a Bayesian framework, and optimizing clinical trial design. Press release