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German Genomics Firm Signature Diagnostics Acquired by ROCHE

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Roche Buys German Genomics Firm Signature Diagnostics

Feb 09, 2015 | a GenomeWeb staff reporter

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Continuing a buying spree, Roche today announced it acquired German translational oncology and genomics firm Signature Diagnostics for an undisclosed amount.

Based in Potsdam, Signature develops large blood plasma and tissue biobanks in cancers, including lung and colorectal cancer. The biobanks are constructed from multicenter prospective clinical studies, and Signature uses the samples, along with accompanying clinical progression and genetic data, to develop and validate circulating cell-free DNA-based tests. The tests, Roche said, could advance non-invasive treatment response monitoring for cancer patients.

Noting the importance of biobanks in research into the origins of diseases such as cancer, Roche Diagnostics COO Roland Diggelmann said, “Signature represents a unique bridge between high-value cancer biobanks and [next-generation sequencing] assay development.” He added that biobanks can be used for biomarker discovery and hypothesis testing with pharma.

Roche will leverage Signature’s capabilities to accelerate the development of NGS-based diagnostics, he said. In the fall of 2013, Signature told GenomeWeb that it had developed a plasma-based ultradeep sequencing test to monitor colorectal cancer patients and detect metastasis in the early stages.

Roche will integrate Signature into its sequencing unit and will continue to expand the company’s genomic signature portfolio, it said. Signature’s tests are for research use only.

The acquisition is the latest by Roche, which has been on a buying binge in the omics and molecular diagnostics space during the past year. In December, it bought informatics shop Bina Technologies and non-invasive prenatal testing firm Ariosa Diagnostics. Last spring, it acquired NGS firm Genia and point-of-care molecular diagnostics company Iquum.

Roche also acquired NGS sample preparation technology from AbVitro last October and made an investment into NGS firm Stratos Genomics in June 2014.

SOURCE

https://www.genomeweb.com/business-news/roche-buys-german-genomics-firm-signature-diagnostics?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20News:%20Roche%20Buys%20Signature%20Diagnostics%20-%2002/09/2015%2003:50:00%20PM

Roche Acquires Bina Technologies

Dec 19, 2014 | a GenomeWeb staff reporter

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Roche said today that it has acquired Bina Technologies, a privately held informatics company based in Redwood City, Calif., for an undisclosed amount.

Bina markets its proprietary Genomic Management Solution, Bina-GMS, a software system for genomic data analysis.

Bina will be integrated into the Roche Sequencing Unit in the first quarter of 2015. The acquisition will enable Bina to continue to develop and commercialize Bina-GMS to support multiple sequencing technologies while also developing a solution for Roche sequencing systems.

“Informatics and data management are critical to providing a seamless, end-to-end sequencing solution,” Dan Zabrowski, head of Roche Sequencing, said in a statement. “Bina’s products are designed to improve the efficiency and value of genomic analysis, and the company continues to develop new methodologiesand algorithms that link NGS data to disease-relevant genetic markers.”

Bina’s CEO and Founder, Narges Bani Asadi, said in a statement that the acquisition validated the firm’s technology. “It is also an indication of how informatics and data science are going to play a major role in the future of medicine,” she added.

The Bina purchase is Roche’s latest in a string of acquisitions within the next-gen sequencing space. Earlier this month, it acquired noninvasive prenatal testing company Ariosa Diagnostics. In October, it acquired NGS sample-prep technology developed by AbVitro in order to develop targeted sequencing panels for the Genia and Pacific Biosciences platforms. Roche acquired the single-molecule nanopore startup Genia in June, and last year struck an agreement with Pacific Biosciences to develop a clinical sequencing system.

SOURCE

https://www.genomeweb.com/business-news/roche-acquires-bina-technologies