OHMX.bio and Fujirebio Europe Receive Grant of 720K EURO to Incorporate Third Generation Sequencing into Clinical In Vitro Diagnostics Platform

Ghent, Belgium, December 8, 2020 – OHMX.bio, a provider of cutting-edge “omics” solutions, and Fujirebio Europe announced today that they have been awarded a 720K EURO research grant from Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) to develop a clinical in vitro diagnostics (IVD) platform incorporating third generation sequencing (TGS) technologies. The project, called IVD-seq, will initially focus on a cost-efficient, accurate and portable IVD modular solution for highly polymorphic regions. The partners aim to expand the resulting platform solution to other molecular diagnostic markers.

The IVD-seq project brings together a unique and complementary partnership of clinical IVD expertise from Fujirebio Europe and third generation sequencing based-omics solutions from OHMX.bio to develop a best-in-class IVD solution that completely operates from Flanders, Belgium.

“Next generation sequencing (NGS) has already been incorporated into clinical in vitro diagnostics so there is a significant opportunity to explore the benefits and potential advantages of building an IVD platform incorporating the third generation sequencing (TGS) platforms,” said Prof. Gerben Menschaert, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of OHMX.bio. “Working on this project will illustrate the broad capabilities that OHMX.bio can provide to its partners and we very much look forward to combining our expertise with that of Fujirebio Europe, a true leader in diagnostics.”

“TGS is already providing more accurate and actionable genetic sequencing information. By incorporating this cutting-edge approach into clinical diagnostics, we believe this research could take advantage of this improvement in data, resulting in better diagnostic information that can be utilized for the benefit of patients,” stated Christiaan De Wilde, Chief Executive Officer of Fujirebio Europe.

The aim of the research will be to create a TGS IVD platform by optimizing a multi-layer approach encompassing the initial sample and library preparation, state-of-the-art sequencing technologies and improved genotyping procedures. In addition, the project will strive toward multiplexing related clinical markers within one IVD solution and indexing this in a cost-efficient way over multiple different patient samples.

About Fujirebio

Fujirebio is a global leader in the field of high-quality IVD testing. It has more than 50 years’ accumulated experience in the conception, development, production and worldwide commercialization of robust IVD products.

Founded in 1950 in Tokyo, Japan, Fujirebio has over the years concluded a number of successful acquisitions of best-in-class IVD companies. Examples include Centocor Diagnostics in 1998, CanAg Diagnostics in 2006 and Innogenetics in 2010. Today, Fujirebio’s global presence includes offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia as well as a vast international distribution network.

Fujirebio has a strong and long-lasting tradition of collaborating with experts in the worldwide clinical community in the development of high-quality routine and truly novel biomarkers that cover a variety of disease states. Its IVD product lines span the range from specialized manual and automated testing to fully automated routine clinical laboratory testing solutions.

Fujirebio is a wholly-owned subsidiary of H.U. Group Holdings Inc. (formerly known as Miraca Holdings Inc. and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange – TYO: 4544) and employs more than 1.200 people in Asia, Europe and America.

About OHMX.bio

OHMX.bio offers customers state-of-the-art solutions to their biological questions using cutting-edge “omics” technologies - transcriptomics, translatomics, proteomics and (epi)genetics. We provide start-to finish project management from sample preparation to customized data analysis and data reporting.

Founded in Ghent in 2019, as a spin-off initiative of the Ghent University, OHMX.bio provides genome-wide maps using the latest sequencing (Illumina and Oxford Nanopore) and mass spectrometry technologies. In particular, we are world-leaders in unravelling genome-wide maps of translated mRNA, a technique called ribosome profiling or RIBO-seq. We constantly develop our portfolio offering novel technologies, such as direct DNA and RNA sequencing from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, focussing on the application areas of clinical diagnostics, epigenetics and microbiomics analysis. We maintain a strong collaborative network of academic experts. Further information can be found at https://ohmx.bio/.