Paragon Genomics Partners Its Ultra-High Multiplexed Target Enrichment Technology With SOPHiA GENETICS For Comprehensive Genomic Solutions

SAN ANTONIO, Texas and HAYWARD, Calif., Oct. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Paragon Genomics, Inc., a leader in amplicon-based target enrichment and library preparation solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS) assays and SOPHiA GENETICS, a leader in Data-Driven Medicine, today announced a partnership designed to accelerate the adoption of Data-Driven Medicine worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Paragon Genomics' CleanPlex^® NGS target enrichment technologies will be incorporated in the SOPHiA AI Platform used by more than 850 hospitals in 72 countries. The partnership is being announced at the Association for Molecular Pathology 2018 Annual Meeting (AMP 2018).

Paragon Genomics' CleanPlex is a proprietary, ultra-high multiplexed NGS target enrichment technology that allows a large number of targets to be interrogated rapidly and accurately using a streamlined workflow with superior analytical performance. The CleanPlex technology is provided as ready-to-use and custom NGS panels and is available for use with Illumina or Ion Torrent platforms. CleanPlex will now also be incorporated in the SOPHiA AI Platform, providing a comprehensive and standardized solution for accurate genomic detection and characterization of tumor alterations in a single test.

Tao Chen, co-founder and CEO of Paragon Genomics, said, "This partnership greatly expands the universe of cancer experts able to benefit from our proprietary CleanPlex target enrichment technologies. The SOPHiA AI technology platform reaches a large and growing global community of hospitals and laboratories. The worldwide launch of this partnership will provide immediate access to our combined solutions, enabling providers to rapidly and precisely identify tumor mutations and improve the throughput, quality and reliability of their sequencing results."

Jurgi Camblong, CEO and co-founder of SOPHiA GENETICS, commented, "This new partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to provide our global community of healthcare institutions with the most effective genomic solutions available, thereby accelerating the adoption of Data-Driven Medicine."

Further details of the non-exclusive agreement were not disclosed.

Paragon Genomics and SOPHiA GENETICS are co-sponsoring an AMP 2018 Corporate Workshop on October 31 in Room 214C at 4:00pm. It will include data and case studies on how Paragon Genomics' CleanPlex ultra-high multiplexed and molecular-barcoded NGS panels can help accelerate and streamline targeted sequencing studies.

Paragon Genomics researchers are also presenting a poster¹ at AMP 2018 that discusses the performance of CleanPlex NGS Heredity Panels for determining genetic predispositions.

Separately, in advance of the upcoming launch of its CleanPlex UMI Custom Panels, the company announced the Paragon Genomics CleanPlex UMI Research Award. CleanPlex UMI technology is designed to improve and simplify NGS detection of low-frequency mutations in circulating tumor and FFPE DNA for liquid biopsy, tumor profiling and related applications. It incorporates unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) that enable correction of PCR and sequencing errors to achieve more accurate results, demonstrating excellent sensitivity and specificity--ultralow-frequency variants at 0.1% allele frequency can be confidently detected with high specificity using only 30ng of DNA in a rapid, single-tube format.

Cancer researchers working in academia, government and not-for-profit settings are invited to submit research proposals designed to leverage the exceptional capabilities of the CleanPlex UMI technology. Each of the 3 to 5 winners will be awarded a CleanPlex UMI Custom Panel built to the specifications of their research study, with hands-on assistance from Paragon's experts. The deadline for applications is December 20, 2018, and the winners will be announced in January 2019. For more information and an application, visit www.cleanplex.com.

Paragon Genomics' CleanPlex is a proprietary, ultra-high multiplexed NGS target enrichment technology featuring an innovative PCR background cleaning chemistry that allows tens of thousands of amplicons to be multiplexed in a single reaction pool, allowing a large number of targets to be interrogated in a single assay. The CleanPlex technology is available as ready-to-use panels or as customized assays designed and optimized using the company's advanced panel design algorithm. 

1 – AMP Poster # 16578, CleanPlex^® Amplicon-based NGS Heredity Panels for Determining Genetic Predispositions, Nov. 2, 2018, 2:30-3:30 pm.

Paragon Genomics' CleanPlex^® products are for Research Use Only.

About Paragon Genomics
Paragon Genomics (www.paragongenomics.com) is a leader in amplicon-based target enrichment and library preparation solutions to accelerate the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assays for research and clinical testing. The company designs high performance and ultra-multiplexed amplicon NGS panels and develops NGS library preparation chemistries for analyzing difficult, clinically-relevant samples. It strives to make the design of custom NGS assays easily available to a broad range of users, with expert counsel and rapid turnaround. Privately-held Paragon Genomics is located in Hayward, California. 

About SOPHiA GENETICS
Leader in Data-Driven Medicine SOPHiA GENETICS is a health tech company that has developed SOPHiA AI, the advanced technology for genomic analysis, helping healthcare professionals to make sense of the large amount of genomic data. SOPHiA GENETICS is democratizing Data-Driven Medicine by enabling the rapid adoption of genomic testing worldwide, turning data into actionable clinical insights and sharing knowledge through its community. The company's achievements and innovative approach are recognized by MIT Technology Review's "50 Smartest Companies 2017" and Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies 2018". More information: www.sophiagenetics.com 

SOURCE Paragon Genomics

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