Baylor Genetics Selects Edico Genome's DRAGEN to Improve Turnaround Times for Clinical Tests, Enabling Physicians and Genetic Counselors to be 'Ready with Answers' Faster Than Ever

HOUSTON and SAN DIEGO, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Baylor Genetics, a genetics laboratory specializing in the development and commercialization of the highest quality genetic and genomic testing, today announced it has selected Edico Genome's DRAGEN™ Bio-IT Processor to accelerate test turnaround time in clinical settings. DRAGEN will support Baylor Genetics' extensive testing portfolio, including its GeneAware reproductive carrier screen, rare disease diagnostic testing and whole exome sequencing test. Rapid turnaround times allow Baylor Genetics Laboratories' physicians and genetic counselors to communicate results to patients faster, enabling treatment decisions to be made as quickly as possible.

"Baylor Genetics' value proposition is getting its clients the right answers, right away," said Ron Zoppo, Baylor Genetics' Information Technology Director. "By implementing DRAGEN, we will combine the speed and accuracy of Edico's platform with the deep and broad knowledge base of Baylor Genetics' experienced genomic interpretation teams. Faster turnaround times and confident results mean satisfied customers. We're excited to accelerate our testing efforts by partnering with Edico."

Baylor Genetics, formerly Baylor Miraca Genetics Laboratories, a joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and Miraca Holdings, Inc., recently launched the Ready With Answers initiative, which is committed to improving turnaround times, customer service support, user-friendly billing and innovative genetic counseling services. As part of the agreement, DRAGEN will be the primary platform for next-generation sequencing secondary analysis at Baylor Genetics.

"As genomics continues to expand into clinical settings, analyzing results rapidly and accurately is more critical than ever as patients and physicians rely on these answers to proceed with treatment decisions," said Pieter van Rooyen, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Edico Genome. "Baylor Genetics' commitment to accelerating test turnaround times will enable patients to receive the best care possible, and we are proud that DRAGEN's speed and accuracy is improving the lives of patients as well as genetic counselors and physicians."

DRAGEN is highly reconfigurable, using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to provide hardware-accelerated implementations of genome pipeline algorithms, such as BCL conversion, compression, mapping, alignment, sorting, duplicate marking and haplotype variant calling. The platform includes whole genome and exome, transcriptome, joint genotyping, methylation, and GATK pipelines, and allows users to develop custom algorithms as well as refine and improve existing pipelines. Updated versions are made available for customers through simple remote downloads.

Join Edico Genome, Baylor College of Medicine and other industry leaders for a discussion about barriers and breakthroughs in precision medicine and how they are using DRAGEN to support their work at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2016 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7:15 a.m. PT. Register for the event by visiting Edico's website.

About Edico Genome
Edico Genome has created the world's first bioinformatics processor designed to analyze next-generation sequencing data, DRAGEN™. The use of next-generation sequencing is growing at an unprecedented pace, creating a need for a technology that can process this big data rapidly and accurately. Edico Genome's computing platform has been shown to speed whole genome data analysis from hours to minutes, while maintaining high accuracy and reducing costs, enabling clinicians and researchers to reveal answers more quickly. For more information, visit www.EdicoGenome.com or follow @EdicoGenome.

About Baylor Genetics
Baylor Genetics was established as a joint venture between Miraca Holdings, a Japan-based holding company specializing in diagnostic laboratories, and Baylor College of Medicine in February 2015. As a division of the College for over 30 years, the genetics laboratory specializes in the development and commercialization of the highest quality genetic and genomic testing. Located in Houston's Texas Medical Center, Baylor Genetics' 200+ genetic professionals manage over 3,000 tests and relationships with clients in all 50 states and in 16 countries. Multiple on-site labs -- specializing in chromosomal microarray analysis, prenatal diagnostics, whole exome sequencing, cytogenetics, biochemical genetics, DNA diagnostics, mitochondrial disorders and cancer genetics -- are each well-equipped with cutting edge diagnostic equipment, allowing us to efficiently generate the most accurate clinical genetic data supported by comprehensive consultations from the world's leading genetic experts. For more information, visit www.bmgl.com.

About Miraca Holdings
Miraca Holdings, a Japan-based holding company with group net sales of JPY211.7 billion (FYE 3/20/2016), is engaged in the following three business segments in the healthcare sector: 1) development, manufacture and commercialization of in vitro diagnostics, 2) clinical laboratory testing and 3) other healthcare related businesses, which are conducted by its subsidiaries and affiliates including Fujirebio Inc., a leading supplier of in vitro diagnostics in Japan, and SRL, Inc., one of Japan's largest commercial laboratories. Miraca owns a 60% stake in Baylor Genetics. For more information about Miraca Holdings, please visit www.miraca-holdings.co.jp/eng/index.html.

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SOURCE Edico Genome; Baylor Genetics

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