Standard BioTools and Next Gen Diagnostics Announce Partnership to Provide Complete Automation of Low-Cost Pathogen Sequencing

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard BioTools Inc. (Nasdaq:LAB), driven by a bold purpose – Unleashing tools to accelerate breakthroughs in human health™ – and Next Gen Diagnostics announce the execution of a long-term agreement aimed at revolutionizing the automation of sample preparation for pathogen whole genome sequencing. Under the exclusive agreement, Standard BioTools™ will manufacture the NGD-100, a version of its microfluidics-based Biomark™ X9 System customized for NGD and optimized for automated pathogen WGS library preparation.

“With the cost of bacterial sequencing now under $10/sample, the cost of sample preparation and bioinformatic analysis of the results have become the last remaining practical bottlenecks preventing the widespread use of pathogen WGS,” noted Paul A. Rhodes, Ph.D., NGD’s founder and CEO. “We have addressed them both by combining Standard BioTools’ best-in-class microfluidic liquid handling system with NGD’s state-of-the-art automated pathogen bioinformatics, enabling NGD to offer integrated pathogen sequencing and bioinformatic services with the rapid turnaround and low cost required for large scale impact on infection control and ultimately on clinical microbiology.”

Used by researchers around the world, Standard BioTools proprietary microfluidics technology offers highly scalable and automated workflows for quantitative PCR and NGS library preparation. These systems will enable the cost efficiencies, flexibility and proven analytical performance that laboratories need to meet the increasing demands of pathogen testing.

“Standard BioTools’ microfluidics technology represents over 20 years of continuous refinement,” commented Michael Egholm, President and CEO of Standard BioTools. “Our systems have been proven in mission-critical commercial applications, such as those of Olink, and our track record of high-volume fulfillment ensures the systems and reagents we provide NGD will deliver reliable and high-quality results. As our second major OEM agreement, this partnership with NGD in the field of pathogen sample preparation reflects the advancement of our growth strategy, bringing domain focus and expertise that will broaden the impact of our microfluidic platform across vital sectors of life science.”

NGD has developed and validated world class capability in both the detection of transmission by comparison of bacterial WGS, and the prediction of antibiotic susceptibility. Its recently validated (Humphries et al 2023, J Clinical Microbiology) WGS-based prediction of resistance of E. coli to cefepime demonstrated that sequence-based diagnostics can be more accurate than current standard of care in vitro tests. And, NGD has validated (Brown et al 2019, J Clinical Microbiology) the use of bacterial WGS for the detection of the transmission of infection in hospitals, an issue that creates enormous costs for health care systems, payers, and patients. By pairing Standard BioTools’ microfluidic sample preparation with fully automated bioinformatic analysis, NGD offers an integrated pathogen WGS service at the low cost and high throughput required to be compatible with the economics of infectious disease testing.

“We have worked closely with NGD to develop this strategic partnership between our companies,” noted Alex Kim, Chief Operating Officer of Standard BioTools. “We see an enormous market in pathogen genomics, which is clearly reaching a long-awaited inflection point. Our team is looking forward to working with NGD as they employ Standard BioTools’ proven microfluidics technology, the most robust, high-performance low volume liquid handling system in existence, to enable NGD to bring the potentially transformative applications of pathogen WGS to health care worldwide.”

About Next Gen Diagnostics

NGD offers integrated high-volume turn-key sequencing and bioinformatic services to enable detection of transmission in hospitals, and is working with leading collaborators in the US, Europe and Israel to be among the first to bring WGS-based regulated diagnostics to patient care. NGD is based in the US, with subsidiaries in Cambridge, UK and in Israel.

For press inquiries, please contact: press@nextgen-dx.com

About Standard BioTools

Standard BioTools Inc. (Nasdaq:LAB), previously known as Fluidigm Corporation, is driven by a bold purpose – Unleashing tools to accelerate breakthroughs in human health. Standard BioTools has an established portfolio of essential, standardized next-generation technologies that help biomedical researchers develop medicines faster and better. As a leading solutions provider, the Company provides reliable and repeatable insights in health and disease using its proprietary mass cytometry and microfluidics technologies, which help transform scientific discoveries into better patient outcomes. Standard BioTools works with leading academic, government, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, plant and animal research and clinical laboratories worldwide, focusing on the most pressing needs in translational and clinical research, including oncology, immunology and immunotherapy. Learn more at www.standardbio.com or connect with us on X, Facebook®, LinkedIn and YouTube™.

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