News for the month of December 2021

COVID-19 / Sars-CoV-2

• More Evidence Omicron May Be Weaker Than Prior Variants
• FDA authorizes Merck’s Covid-19 pill, but stresses its use should be limited
• As Omicron Hits, COVID-19 Case Counts Don’t Mean What They Used To
• What We Can Learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic as the Omicron Variant Spreads
• Omicron Has 80% Lower Risk of Hospitalization in South Africa
• FDA: The Wait for COVID Pills Is Over Oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 is now on the table following FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid). Pfizer’s Paxlovid is authorized for use in adults and pediatric patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness. It is administered as three pills (two of nirmatrelvir and one of ritonavir) twice daily for 5 days, for a total of 30 pills. However, the FDA added that the drug is only available by prescription, must be given within 5 days of symptom onset and is not authorized for use longer than 5 days.
• Why Hospitalizations Are Now a Better Indicator of Covid’s Impact
• Omicron thrives in airways, not lungs; new data on asymptomatic cases
• Moderna announces preliminary booster data and updates strategy to address omicron variant Data showing the currently authorized Moderna COVID-19 booster can boost neutralizing antibody levels 37-fold higher than pre-boost levels are reassuring,

Funding / IPO

• SkylineDx raises new capital from Novalis LifeSciences and Van Herk Investments
• Cellanome raises $21M in Series A – Former Illumina execs Rhonagi, Grail co-founder raise $21M for biotech startup
• Nomic Closes $17 Million Series A to Develop and Commercialize the World’s Highest Throughput Proteomic Platform
• NanoMosaic Closes a $40.75MM Over-Subscribed Series A Round

Mergers and Acquisitions

• Labcorp to acquire Personal Genome Diagnostics
• Oracle Buys Cerner
• Co-Diagnostics, Inc. Signs Agreement to Acquire all Assets and Intellectual Property Related to At-Home/Point-of-Care Platform
• Rebus Bio Continues Expansion of Industry-leading Spatial Omics Platform with Breakthrough High-Plex Technology

Precision Medicine

• Baylor Genetics and SRL, Inc. Initiate Clinical Grade of Whole Exome and Genome Sequencing Technology Transfer
• FDA Approves NGS-Based Companion Diagnostic for EGFR Exon20 Insertion Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Tumor Tissue
• Guardant Health Reaches Target Enrollment of 12,750 Patients in ECLIPSE Pivotal Study for its LUNAR™-2 Blood Test to Detect Colorectal Cancer
• BC Platforms Delivers on Global Real-World Data and Platform Access
• Building bridges: GA4GH, and a global infrastructure for seamless genomic data sharing
• PacBio and UCLA Health Announce Research Collaboration for Whole Genome Sequencing in Rare Diseases
• FoundationOne®CDx Receives FDA Approval as a Companion Diagnostic for BRAF Inhibitor Therapeutics in Melanoma
• Diverse genome sequences provide a powerful tool for studying risk of heart disease

Sequencing Platforms

• Singular Genomics Launches the G4 Sequencing Platform
• ONT Community Meeting 2021 A review of the Annual Oxford Nanopore Community Meeting – held online at the beginning of this month – by Keith Robison.  

Spatial Transcriptomics

• 2021 Top 10 Innovations By The Scientist. Includes Vizgen’s MERSCOPE^TM, 10x Genomics’ Chromium X, Mission Bio’s Tapestri Single-Cell Multi-omics Solution, Cardea Bio’s CRISPR-SNP Chip, and Resolve Biosciences’ Molecular Cartography^TM Single-Cell Spatial Analysis Service

Variant / Genomic Analysis

• Genoox to Provide Genomic Data Analysis Platform at Washington University in St. Louis
• Golden Helix releases VarSeq 2.2.4 Release

Miscellaneous

• Biogen halves price of Alzheimer’s drug to $28,200
• FDA rolls out more guidance on ‘N of 1’ gene therapies
• Zoom announces new integration with Cerner EHR The functionality is currently available for beta testing with some customers, allowing them to join scheduled sessions by clicking a link within a patient’s chart.
• CVS, Microsoft ink alliance to develop digital health, personalized products

Publications

• Human embryonic genome activation initiates at the one-cell stage Study finds that some genes are active from the get-go which challenges the textbook view that genes don’t become active in human embryos until they are made up of four-to-eight cells, two or three days after fertilization.
• MRD-Adapted Therapy Approach May Allow for Treatment-Free Surveillance in Certain Patients With Newly Diagnose Myeloma
• Multi-omic machine learning predictor of breast cancer therapy response
• Single cell atlas for 11 non-model mammals, reptiles and birds
• Mapping the proteo-genomic convergence of human diseases

News for the month of November 2021

The month of November has undoubtedly been overshadowed by concerns about the recently emerged Omicron version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The many mutations inherent to this new version certainly put health authorities, vaccine manufacturers, health care providers, and the general public on alter as it is unclear how contagious, immunity evading, and deadly the new virus version is – only the next few weeks will show. Coinciding with the emergence of this new variant are the recommendations for a COVID booster, and significant concerns that existing vaccines may likely be less effective against Omicron. In planning for all possible scenarios, Moderna already issued a statement indicating it believes to have an Omicron variant vaccine ready as early as 2022.

Highlights for the month of November included the largest single release of whole genomes (200,000) by the UK Biobank (UKBB) for research purpose, Illumina in partnership with Genetic Alliance launching the $120M iHope™ Genetic Health program with the goal to increase equity and improve outcomes for families impacted by genetic disease in low- and middle-income communities around the world, Illumina (revenue of $1.11B or 40% increase) and Invitae (revenue of $114M or 66% increase) each reporting increased revenue compared to the same period in 2020, an entire special Cell Genomics CellPress issue dedicated to the work done by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), the release of a new version of the Human Protein Atlas, and Alphabet launching a new company that uses AI for drug discovery that builds on DeepMind’s work on protein folding. Other news included Tempus Labs exploring an IPO in 2020, and QIAGEN and bioMérieux eyeing combination.

COVID-19 / Sars-CoV-2

• U.S. to Tighten Testing for Travelers Amid Omicron Worries
• Moderna says an omicron variant vaccine could be ready in early 2022
• Moderna CEO says vaccines likely less effective against Omicron – FT
• Omicron variant spreads to North America, Australia and more of Europe
• Should I Get My COVID Booster? Data that have experts convinced it’s a good idea
• More Data Link Psychiatric Disorders to Higher COVID Mortality
• Covid Treatments: New Uses of Old Pills Discusses both the antiviral Merck and Pfizer pills, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, that have been developed in the context of other viruses. Given their efficacy in those scenarios their respective companies decided to test them in a covid context and have seen varying degrees of success.
• F.D.A. Plans to Authorize Pfizer Boosters for All Adults This Week
• An Interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci Dr. Fauci discusses the state of the coronavirus, booster shots, mandates, and the end of the pandemic – a podcast.
• Supercharging New Viral Variants: The Dangers Of Molnupiravir & Harming Those Who Receive It: The Dangers Of Molnupiravir A critical discussion of the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir developed by Merck. The author, William Haseltine, points out the drug’s potential mutagenicity, and the possibility that its use could lead to birth defects or cancerous tumors. Furthermore, he discusses the danger that is far greater and potentially far deadlier: the drug’s potential to supercharge SARS-CoV-2 mutations and unleash a more virulent variant upon the world. 

Funding / IPO

• Pear Therapeutics raises up to $50M in additional capital ahead of SPAC
• Sanofi invests $180 million equity in Owkin’s artificial intelligence and federated learning to advance oncology pipeline
• Illumina and Sequoia Capital China Select First Startups to join Genomics Incubator in China Mobidrop Biotechnology, a medical device and research tools company developing single-cell sequencing microfluidic technologies for molecular diagnostics applications and Sequanta Technologies, a multiomics company committed to building DNA, RNA, epitome, and proteomics technology platforms for research and clinical applications.
• Benchling Raises $100M in Series F Financing
• Geneoscopy Closes $105M in Financing to Advance its Noninvasive Multifactor RNA Screening Test for Colorectal Cancer Prevention
• Color announces Series E financing, at a valuation of $4.6 billion, to accelerate expansion of accessible and equitable public health infrastructure
• Cell reprogramming company bit.bio raises $103 million in first close of Series B financing
• Tempus Labs is said to explore potential IPO next year
• SomaLogic gains on speculation of potential interest from Illumina
• 23andMe Announces the Closing of its Acquisition of Lemonaid Health
• PierianDx Closes up to $47.5 Million of Growth Capital

Mergers and Acquisitions

• IndyGeneUS AI, Inc. to Acquire the World’s First Blockchain-Mediated Free Market For Genetic Data, EncrypGen
• QIAGEN, bioMérieux said to be eyeing combination

Precision Medicine

• OncoDNA provides strategic support in Radiomics’ prospective clinical trial SALMON The two belgian companies will work towards a better understanding of non-small cell lung cancer biology and characterization of the tumors using AI technology
• Illumina and Genetic Alliance Launch $120 Million Global Initiative to Increase Equity and Improve Outcomes for Families Impacted by Genetic Disease
• 200,000 whole genomes made available for biomedical studies by U.K. effort
• Whole genome sequencing improves diagnosis of rare diseases and shortens diagnostic journeys for patients, according to world first study The pilot study of rare undiagnosed diseases involved analyzing the genes of 4,660 people from 2,183 families – all of whom were early participants in the 100,000 Genomes Project.
• USFDA grants ‘Breakthrough Designation’ for early-stage breast cancer detection blood test by Datar Cancer Genetics
• Personalized medicine goes far beyond genetics
• Whole genome sequencing from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ that affected families experience, and providing huge opportunities for future research.

Variant / Genomic Analysis

• Streamline Genomics Launches New SeeqVCF VCF Analysis Application, Bringing A Lightweight, Secure VCF Analysis Application to Clinical Genomics Users
• Genomenon and Inozyme Pharma Announce Partnership to Advance Genetic Diagnosis for Rare Disease Patients
• Genomenon and Deep 6 AI Sign Proof of Concept Agreement to Increase Clinical Trial Matching Capabilities

Genetic/Genomic Testing

• Invitae Reports $114.4 Million in Revenue Driven by 296,000 in Billable Volume in Third Quarter of 2021 The generated revenue was a more than 66% increase compared to $68.7 million in the same period in 2020 and approximately 89% increase compared to 157,000 in the same period in 2020.
• Bill to make genetic and genomic testing more accessible Bipartisan legislation will help diagnose and treat genetic disorders like cancer and rare diseases, particularly in children

Sequencing Platforms

• Pandemic puts Oxford Nanopore ‘on the map’

Miscellaneous

• Harris announces $1.5B investment in health care workforce
• Illumina’s Bid For $25M Over DNA Tech Patents Goes To Jury Chinese rival BGI Genomics and its subsidiary owe $25.4M for willfully infringing Illumina’s patents on DNA sequencing technologies.
• Biden Administration Spending $1.5 Billion to Increase, Diversify Health Workforce
• Illumina Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021 Revenue of $1,108 million, a 40% increase compared to the prior year period.
• Scientists question Max Planck Society’s treatment of women leaders
• Health apps and wearables help rich people the most, study finds They don’t help improve physical activity for poorer people
• CVS will close 900 stores as it looks beyond traditional pharmacies The company operates more than 9,900 stores in the U.S. The closure will affect about 9 percent with CVS closing about 300 stores a year in the next three years., 
• Statement from President Joe Biden Announcing His Intention to Nominate Dr. Robert Califf for Commissioner of Food and Drugs
• New version 21 of the Human Protein Atlas A new version 21 of the open access Human Protein Atlas has been launched. A lot of new data and content have been added and the resource now includes 10 separate sections exploring the human proteins from different angels.
• Why Health-Care Workers Are Quitting In Droves About one in five health-care workers has left medicine since the pandemic started. This is their story—and the story of those left behind. By Ed Yong.
• Returning genomic research findings reveals unrecognized disease risks
• Healthcare’s middle children: Potential disruptors flying under the radar While there are the “big” players which includes Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Walmart, there are also the middle players (e.g., Best Buy, Salesforce, Nike, or Lululemon) with well-suited capabilities to solve pressing healthcare challenges. As such this great articles summarizes why they should be on the healthcare radar.
• Taking a bite out of Big Tech: Outgoing J&J CEO Gorsky takes health tech talents to Apple
• The unexpected health impacts of wearable tech
• Johnson & Johnson is splitting up: breaking up Band-Aids and pharmaceuticals
• Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is launching a company that uses AI for drug discovery It builds on DeepMinds’ work on protein folding.

Publication

• Recommendations by the ClinGen Rett/Angelman-like expert panel for gene-specific variant interpretation methods
• COVID-19, the first pandemic in the post-genomic era
• Subclone-specific microenvironmental impact and drug response in refractory multiple myeloma revealed by single‐cell transcriptomics
• Gut Microbiome and Common Variable Immunodeficiency: Few Certainties and Many Outstanding Questions
• Stanford researchers have developed a synthetic, tumor-targeting molecule that promotes immune activation and tumor regression in laboratory mice after it’s injected into their bloodstreams – see publication in Cell Chemical Biology
• 100,000 Genomes Pilot on Rare-Disease Diagnosis in Health Care — Preliminary Report
• Genomic Profiling of Lung Adenocarcinoma in Never-Smokers
• An entire special Cell Genomics Cell Press issue dedicated to the work done by the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH), a policy-framing and technical standards-setting organization, seeking to enable responsible genomic data sharing – 10 different papers.
• New Genetic Codes Discovered by Scanning 250,000 Genomes

News for the month of October 2021

Highlights for the month of October in Precision Medicine included the Mayo Clinic starting a collaboration with ClinGen to develop expert curated variant list, and the release of another exome sequencing study by the Regeneron Genetics Center – based on the 455K Biobank samples – which nicely illustrates the ability of exome sequencing to identify novel gene-trait associations, elucidate gene function, and pinpoint effector genes underlying GWAS signal at scale. Lastly, the Eu has ordered Illumina to keep Grail a separate company.

October is also the month of the Nobel Prize announcements – interestingly we did not see a much anticipated award for the mRNA technology underlying some of the most prominent vaccines that have been instrumental in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to David Julius, UCSF and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch, while the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David W.C. MacMillan (Princeton University) and Benjamin List (Max Planck Institute) for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.

Other interesting news for the month of October informed us that Intermountain Healthcare together with Presbyterian Healthcare Services and SSM Health is launching Graphite Health, a nonprofit aimed at facilitating the development and distribution of helpful digital health tools. Furthermore, Amazon unveiled its ambition to help consumers manage their health at home via a series of product updates and launches. CVS Health revealed that they want to turn their pharmacies into front door primary care units. Francis Collins announced that he will end his tenure as the director of the NIH after having served for more than 12 years. And last but not least, the FDA panel now recommends COVID-19 shots for children 5 to 11, while the CDC Approves Mix and Match COVID-19 Boosters.

This October news update has been sponsored by:

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• F.D.A. Panel Recommends Covid Shots for Children 5 to 11
• Breakthrough Infections Occur in Those with Lower Antibody Levels, Israeli Study Show
• Accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 mutations reduces sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies
• COVID vaccine makers brace for a variant worse than Delta If an emerging strain of SARS-CoV-2 evades the immunity already conferred by vaccines and infections, vaccine makers say they will act quickly to roll out new jabs. The challenges is testing new vaccines against new variants in the real world as it can be hard to find volunteers who have not yet received a vaccine.
• CDC Now Reports COVID Cases and Deaths by Vax Status Tool also reveals numeric differences between vaccines
• Moderna, Racing for Profits, Keeps Covid Vaccine Out of Reach of Poor Some poorer countries are paying more and waiting longer for the company’s vaccine than the wealthy — if they have access at all.
• Israeli Data Favor Higher Estimates of Post-Vax Myocarditis Results echo the controversial VAERS study from September
• Biden Admin to Buy More At-Home COVID Tests, Expand Free Testing Sites

Funding / IPO

• NIH awards nearly $75M to catalyze data science research in Africa
• Egle Therapeutics Raises 40 Million € Series a to Develop First-In-Class T-regulatory Cells Therapies Based On Treg-starvers
• DNA Script Raises $165M in Oversubscribed Series C Financing to Accelerate Commercialization of Enzymatic DNA Printing Platform
• Gencove Raises $10 Million to Meet the Global Demand for Accessible and Interpretable Whole Genome Sequencing at Scale
• ReCode Therapeutics Raises Oversubscribed Series B Financing Round of $80 Million
• Single-cell proteomics systems developer IsoPlexis raises $125M in IPO
• Armonica Technologies Closes B Round Financing Company develops a high throughput, direct long-read DNA sequencing technology.
• Maven Clinic nabs $110M funding round in Series D and reaches unicorn status
• Elemy reaches unicorn status boosted by $219M investment
• Q3 2021 digital health funding: To $20B and beyond! 2021 has already surpassed the $20B mark with three months left in the year. Between Q1-Q3, 2021’s total funding amounted to $21.3B across 541 deals, with an average deal size of $39.4M. A Rock Health Report

Merger and Acquisitions

• EU orders Illumina to keep Grail a separate company The measures provide that GRAIL be kept separate from Illumina and run by independent managers, that the two companies do not share confidential information, the interactions be kept at arms length and that Grail work on alternative options in case the Commission rejected the merger.
• 23andMe Agrees to Acquire Lemonaid Health The purchase price is $400 million
• ATDBio acquired by Biotage to provide platform for further growth for £45 million ($62 million) in cash and shares
• Bionano Genomics to Acquire BioDiscovery, Furthering Bionano’s Vision of Creating the Most Comprehensive Variant Analysis Platform in Genomics
• Genoox and Aspira Women’s Health Inc. Partner to Develop and Deliver Data-Driven Insights to Advance Women’s Health

Liquid Biopsy

• Data Presented at ACG Shows Guardant Health’s Blood-Based Test Accurately Detects Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer

Precision Medicine

• Broad scientists join new consortium studying the function of genetic variation
• Roche launches comprehensive genomic profiling kit to expand access to personalized cancer research
• Thera-who? These biotech firms are looking to push what’s possible with blood
• BC Platforms Expands Partnership with Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital to Accelerate Adoption of Precision Medicine in Southeast Asia
• A New Player in Companion Diagnostics Discusses traditional companion diagnostic (e.g., HER2) versus new NGS-based CDx (e.g., Oncomine Dx Target Test)
• Innovative Joint Program in Computational Precision Health at UC Berkeley and UCSF Aims to Improve Quality and Equity of Health Care Interesting, new partnership between UCSF and UC Berkeley to create a computational precision medicine/precision health graduate/PhD program.
• Mayo Clinic collaborates with Personalis Inc. to expand cancer genomic testing
• CDC and ClinGen partner to develop expert curated variant list for the genomic community

Microbiome

• PhenoBiome launches human gut microbiome assay with Genetic Direction

Single Cell Genomics / Spatial Genomics

• Parse Biosciences Unveils 1,000,000 Cell scRNA-seq Kit

Miscellaneous

• QIAGEN IPA Analysis Match now includes over 100,000 analyses to help advance your research
• One Medical launches new program to target chronic care management market
• Giant, free index to world’s research papers released online
• Annual Report to the Nation Part 2: Patient economic burden of cancer care more than $21 billion in the United States in 2019
• Roche’s Foundation Medicine is getting a new 16-story home in Boston’s Seaport District
• NIH’s Nobel Winners Demonstrate Value of Basic Research
• Much Adu(helm) about nothing: New Alzheimer’s drug threatens state Medicaid budgets
• Rates of depression and anxiety climbed across the globe in 2020, analysis finds Researchers estimated there were about 3,153 total cases of major depressive disorder per 100,000 people and 4,802 total cases of anxiety disorders per 100,000 worldwide in 2020, after adjusting for uptick associated with the pandemic.
• Intermountain, Presbyterian and SSM Health announce new digital transformation company
• Amazon’s healthcare ambitions have a new target: your home
• CVS Health is about to turn hundreds of its drugstores into health care super-clinics
• Superbugs in Seniors Led to Nearly 12,000 Deaths in a Single Year Antibiotic-resistant infections in Medicare-age patients cost health system $2 billion in 2017
• Historic go-ahead for malaria vaccine to protect African children
• Francis Collins to step down as director of the National Institutes of Health having served three U.S. presidents over more than 12 years.

Publications

• A massive effort links protein-coding gene variants to health
• Nano-optogenetic engineering of CAR T cells for precision immunotherapy with enhanced safety
• Exome sequencing and analysis of 454,787 UK Biobank participants
• Genetic and phenotypic analysis of the causal relationship between aging and COVID-19
• Drug hunters uncloak the non-coding ‘hidden’ genome A great overview of companies that work on deciphering the “dark matter” (i.e., non-coding regions of the genome) for drug discovery purpose, includes: Nucleome Therapeutics, Omega Therapeutics, CAMP4 Therapeutics, Syros Pharmaceuticals, & Foghorn Therapeutics, Inc
• Comparative cellular analysis of motor cortex in human, marmoset and mouse This study demonstrates – via high-throughput transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of more than 450,000 single nuclei in humans, marmoset monkeys and mice – robust molecular underpinnings of cell-type diversity in the broadly conserved cellular makeup of the primary motor cortex (M1) region which is essential for voluntary fine-motor control and is functionally conserved across mammals. Study also points to the genes and regulatory pathways responsible for the functional identity of cell types and their species-specific adaptations.

News for the month of September 2021

The booster shot discussions continued in September with the CDC now recommending boosters for certain age groups including individuals with medical conditions and frontline workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine based on testing data from Israel. Another much needed discussion regarding COVID-19 centers around pathogen surveillance and, more specifically, the need for federated data systems. The Broad Institute announced a partnership with the CDC and Theiagen to enable pathogen genomic surveillance across the U.S. via the use of the open-source platform Terra.

On the precision medicine front, Geisinger is developing a high impact phenotype identification system with the goal of shortening the time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis of the genetic basis for 13 medical conditions; 54gene raises $25M in Series B to expand capabilities in sequencing, target identification and validation, clinical trials, and drug discovery for the benefit of both Africans and the global population; BC Platforms announced a new collaboration with the South African Institute of Everyone Genome (AiEG) to build an integrated clinical and genomics data biobank in the African continent to enable longitudinal RWD and genomics-access for drug development in Africa; and an NYU study finds that ultrasound-analyzing AI improves breast cancer diagnoses by 37%.

This September news update has been sponsored by:

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Testing… Testing… Coming to a Venue Near You Funding from NIH has helped to propel advances in COVID-19 tests
• We’re already barreling toward the next pandemic – the latest piece by Ed Yong
• Broad Institute partners with CDC and Theiagen Genomics to enable pathogen genomic surveillance across the United States The partnership will facilitate the use of Terra — an open-source platform for biomedical data storage, analysis, and collaboration — in public health labs for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and future outbreaks.
• The Latest on COVID-19 Boosters NIH Director’s Blog: The CDC recommends -in line with those issued two days earlier by the FDA – now booster shots for certain age groups, individuals with medical conditions, and frontline workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Some of the most-compelling, supporting data came from a recently published Israeli study that explored the benefit of booster shots for older people.
• Uber-Inspired Software Flags COVID-19 Variants Before They Explode by Meredith Salisbury
• COVID Deaths Surpass 1918 Flu Deaths With a national population of around 103 million people at that time — about a third of the current total of 330 million Americans — the 1918 pandemic killed roughly 1 in 150 people in the U.S.; COVID has killed 1 in 500 Americans.
• Covid Vaccine Prompts Strong Immune Response in Younger Children, Pfizer Says Vaccinated kids aged 5 to 11 showed evidence of protection against the virus, the company said. The data must be reviewed by the F.D.A. before children can be inoculated.
• Risk factors and disease profile of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app: a prospective, community-based, nested, case-control study
• Moderna turns to biotech startup to ramp up Covid vaccine manufacturing National Resilience will manufacture mRNA to produce the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at its facility in Mississauga, Ontario, for worldwide distribution. The company is headquartered in San Diego and Cambridge, Mass.

Funding / IPO

• Mammoth Biosciences Raises $195 Million to Build Next-Generation CRISPR Products in Therapeutics and Diagnostics
• Seven Bridges and Scripps Research Selected to Develop Data Ecosystem for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Othram Closes $18M Series B Funding Round to Help Law Enforcement Crack Previously Unsolvable Cases
• Oxford Nanopore surges 45% in rare London biotech listing
• Immunis.AI Achieves Development Milestones and Additional Financing of $40M
• 54gene raises $25M Series B The newly-raised capital will be deployed to expand capabilities in sequencing, target identification and validation, clinical trials and drug discovery for the benefit of both Africans and the global population. The funding will also aid 54gene’s expansion across the African continent.
• Elligo Health Research, a clinical research and technology company, has raised $135M Elligo Health Research uses EHR data, technology and services to expand patient access to clinical trials
• 858 Therapeutics Launches with Proven Team and $60 Million Series A Financing 858 Therapeutics exited stealth mode with a $60M in Series A. Proceeds are being used to develop a portfolio of small molecules directed against novel therapeutic targets in oncology, including proteins that regulate RNA and the innate immune response.

Precision Medicine

• OncoDNA teams up with SOPHiA GENETICS to enable laboratories to establish data-driven medicine as a standard of care
• Top Women in Precision Medicine Includes Molly He at Element Biosciences, Madhuri Hegde at Perking Elmer’s Global Laboratories, Emily Leproust at Twist Bioscience, Maddison Masaeli at Deepcell, and Kaja Wasik and Variant Bio
• Geisinger Developing ‘High Impact Phenotype Identification System’ Goal is to shorten the time between onset of symptoms and discovery of a genetic basis for 13 medical conditions, improving patient care and outcomes. 
• 23andMe CEO talks privacy, personalized medicine, and how genetics can help predict disease Anne Wojcicki discusses the benefits of DNA testing, concerns over privacy in the healthcare industry, and the future of medicine.

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• OncoDNA announces the launch of a NGS test for cancer research
• Personal Genome Diagnostics and Cleveland Clinic Collaborate to Expand Utility of Liquid Biopsy Applications in Oncology Clinical Research
• Merck taps Illumina to develop companion diagnostics for ovarian cancer treatments

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• Illumina Expands Presence in Latin America
• Congenica is Joint Winner of MIT Solve The Horizon Prize The award recognizes the role of Congenica’s artificial intelligence initiative in using data to help rare disease patients get the right care faster and more accurately.

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing

• A simple and rapid method for enzymatic synthesis of CRISPR-Cas9 sgRNA libraries
• Trove of CRISPR-like gene-cutting enzymes found in microbes The search for a CRISPR enzyme’s ancestors has revealed more than one million potential genome-editing tools.

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)-Enabled Medical Devices Searchable database of 343 AI/ML-enabled devices cleared to date FDA
• New AI technology could shape the future of RNA therapeutics
• Memorial Sloan Kettering spinout gets first FDA clearance for AI to detect prostate cancer
• Ultrasound-analyzing AI improves breast cancer diagnoses by 37%, NYU study finds
• Federated learning for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 Data from 20 institutes across the globe was used to train a FL model, called EXAM (electronic medical record (EMR) chest X-ray AI model), that predicts the future oxygen requirements of symptomatic patients with COVID-19 using inputs of vital signs, laboratory data and chest X-rays. The EXAM model was trained using a cohort of 16,148 cases, making it among the first FL models for COVID-19 but also a very large and multi-continent development project in clinically relevant AI,

RWE / RWD

• BC Platforms to Enable Longitudinal RWD and Genomics Access for Drug Development in Africa BC Platforms engages in a new collaboration with the African Institute of Everyone Genome (AiEG), a South African genomic company focusing on building the largest integrated clinical and genomics data biobank in the African continent. As part of the collaboration, BCP’s platform will enable RWD research involving 10M+ consenting patient genomes from all 54 African countries, to be collected by AiEG over a period of 10-15 years.

Liquid Biopsy / MRD

• Natera’s Signatera® Test Selected for NRG Oncology’s Landmark CIRCULATE-US Study of MRD-Guided Treatment in Stage II-III Colon Cancer

Proteomics

• Single-cell proteomics takes centre stage

Microbiome

CosmosID Launches Accurate and Easy Functional Microbiome Analysis with New Software Platform, CosmosID-HUB: Microbiome

Miscellaneous

• Apple Is Working on iPhone Features to Help Detect Depression, Cognitive Decline
• Walmart, large employers launch virtual care service to tackle Black health disparities Walmart is partnering with virtual care company Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand on a digital health program aimed at tackling health disparities among African American workers.
• Google sister company Verily looking to break free, with potential for IPO, telehealth push
• Pfizer starts study of mRNA-based next generation flu vaccine program
• AstraZeneca (AZN) Inks Deal to Enter Novel RNA Therapeutic Space AZ signed a strategic, long-term research collaboration agreement with VaxEquity.
• Walmart and Global and Fortune 500 Companies Join Included Health Innovation Coalition to Address Health Disparities in the Black Community
• CMS Plans to Scrap Innovative mHealth Technology Program
• Illumina Genomic Discoveries Program Brings Sophisticated Lab Experiences to High School Classrooms

Publications

• Plasmodium falciparum is evolving to escape malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Ethiopia
• Analysis of 2.1 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes identifies mutations associated with transmissibility
• The Science and Art of Clinical Genetic Variant Classification and Its Impact on Test Accuracy
• The human genome: A Research Ultramarathon
• An efficient and scalable top-down method for predicting structures of microbial communities
• Paths and timings of the peopling of Polynesia inferred from genomic networks
• Performance assessment of DNA sequencing platforms in the ABRF Next-Generation Sequencing Study This study serves as a benchmark for current genomics technologies, as well as a resource to inform experimental design and next-generation sequencing variant calling.

News for the month of August 2021

August brought several acquisitions in the sector: Fulgent Genetics acquired CSI Laboratories to expand its presence in the somatic molecular diagnostic and cancer testing market, Sanofi will purchase Translate Bio with its mRNA Technology for $3.2B, ProPhase Labs acquired Nebula Genomics for ~$14.6M, Hibercell acquired Genuity Science, and Illumina announced the acquisition of GRAiL. The latter came after the EU antitrust regulators’ decision to temporarily suspend their investigation into Illumina’s planned purchase – while Illumina was ordered to provide additional data. This in turn resulted in the EU Commission to initiate an investigating whether Illumina has breached its standstill obligation before EU’s antitrust approval in advance of closing any merger deals. 
Additionally, the COVID highlights for the month of August included the Biden administration’s recommendation for booster shots for most Americans, now as early as 5 months after the primary immunization based on new data from Israel.

This August news update has been sponsored by:

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Second-Generation mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CV2CoV, Demonstrates Improved Immune Response and Protection in Preclinical Study Preclinical study provides evidence for strongly improved immune responses with second-generation mRNA backbone jointly developed by CureVac and GSK compared to CureVac’s first-generation mRNA backbone
• SARS-CoV-2 delta variant neutralization after heterologous ChAdOx1-S/BNT162b2 vaccination
• Age-dependent regulation of SARS-CoV-2 cell entry genes and cell death programs correlates with COVID-19 severity Discovery of age-dependent regulation of ACE2, TMRPRSS2, and apoptosis sensitivity in the lung sheds light on potential determinants of disease severity in COVID-19 and responses to lung insults more broadly.
• FDA set to authorize extra Covid vaccine doses for immunocompromised patients
• The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 reprograms both adaptive and innate immune responses
• COVID-19 testing turns to T cells
• US plans to require COVID-19 shots for foreign travelers
• Guidance on “Long COVID” as a Disability Under the ADA, Section 504, and Section 1557  Long COVID is now considered a disability under the ADA, Section 504, and Section 1557 if it substantially limits one or more major life activities.
• Antibody responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection more potent than vaccine-elicited ones

Funding

• Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures startups saw $1B in investment in fiscal 2021
• SeQure Dx Announces $17.5M Series A Funding The gene-editing diagnostics company plans to use funds to establishment of a full-service laboratory providing off-target gene-editing analysis for use in drug development, clinical trials and ultimately patient evaluation prior to therapy.
• InterVenn Biosciences Raises $201 Million for AI-driven Glycoproteomic Platform, Liquid-Biopsy development

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Genome Medical Announces Acquisition of GeneMatters and Closing of $60 Million Series C Financing
• HiberCell Expands Translational Oncology Toolbox by Acquiring Genuity Science, Inc.
• Illumina Acquires GRAIL to Accelerate Patient Access to Life-Saving Multi-Cancer Early-Detection Test
• ProPhase Labs Acquires Whole Genome Sequencing Company, Nebula Genomics
• Fulgent Genetics Announces Acquisition of CSI Laboratories
• EU regulators pause investigation into Illumina, Grail deal European Commission antitrust regulators have temporarily halted their investigation into Illumina’s proposed purchase of GRAIL, Inc. as they wait for the company to provide requested data. The previously set deadline for its decision on the deal, Nov. 29, will change accordingly (new date to be announced).
• Bayer to acquire Vividion Therapeutics for $1.5 billion
• Sanofi pays $3 billion to purchase Translate, raising stakes around mRNA technology
• Abcam to acquire BioVision for $340 million

Precision Medicine

• Foundation Medicine, Epic partner to integrate genomic insights into EHR
• The FDA has granted pre-market approval to Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Oncomine Dx Target Test as a companion diagnostic (CDx) to identify patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) mutated cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) who may be candidates for Servier Pharmaceuticals’ TIBSOVO^® (ivosidenib tablets). 

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• BC Platforms Launches packaged end-to-end solution for NGS laboratories with Sentieon to accelerate adoption of NGS testing
• Oxford Nanopore Technologies 2020 Revenues More Than Double via GenomeWeb
• Partek and Agilent Partner to Deliver Alissa Customers End-to-End Bioinformatics Workflow
• Oxford Nanopore announces global distribution agreement with Avantor® for handheld MinION DNA/RNA sequencer
• Illumina Sues ApexBio Technology, Alleging Patent Infringement Illumina alleged that in 2019, ApexBio began selling a next-generation sequencing library preparation kit for Illumina’s platform without authorization, infringing Illumina’s US Patent No.10,184,122 titled “Transposon End Compositions and Methods for Modifying Nucleic Acids.”
• Illumina Donates Next-Generation Sequencing Capabilities to Support Indigenous Scientists
• DNAnexus’ biomedical informatics platform exceeds security and compliance requirements

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• Natera’s MRD test used in breast cancer drug trial

Single Cell / Spatial Genomics

• Exploring tissue architecture using spatial transcriptomics
• Resolve Biosciences and ZEISS Announce Co-Development Collaboration to Enhance Highest-Resolution View of Subcellular Spatial Biology

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing

• MIC-Drop: A platform for large-scale in vivo CRISPR screens

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• Novel AI Blood Testing Technology Can ID Lung Cancers with High Accuracy
• Developing Robust AI Medical Products Requires Facing Data-Driven Truth
• Hundreds of AI tools have been built to catch covid. None of them helped But the pandemic could help make medical AI better.

Miscellaneous

• Google says health projects will continue even as it unwinds dedicated health division
• Illumina in EU antitrust sights over premature $8B Grail deal The EU will investigate if Illumina has breached its standstill obligation, which requires companies to secure EU antitrust approval before closing any merger deals.
• Business Groups Sue Over Healthcare Price Transparency Rule
• UK Regulator To Lose 20% Of Staff In Post-Brexit Cost-Cutting Plans Despite praise for the government’s “amazing contribution” to its work on Covid-19, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has proposed a restructuring due to financial pressure.
• Missing data and its impact on clinical research
• Report: Amazon awarded secret $10B NSA cloud computing contract, Microsoft files protest
• Federal watchdog will review the controversial FDA approval of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug

Publications

• Rare variant contribution to human disease in 281,104 UK Biobank exomes
• Errors in genetic sequences mar hundreds of studies
• Illness duration and symptom profile in symptomatic UK school-aged children tested for SARS-CoV-2

News for the month of July 2021

During the month of July the Delta virus has been tightening its grip both in the U.S. and other parts of the world, mostly due to its highly contagious nature, prompting the CDC to change its mask guidance with the recommendation for vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors again in regions with high infection rates.
On the opposite note, July also brought some exciting scientific development with DeepMind, in partnership with EMBL-EBI, announcing that they plan to release the predictive structure of all proteins known. Amazing how science has changed over the last few years as we are starting to take full advantage of what artificial intelligence has to offer. Even just the potential for drug discovery and development are tremendous. In other news: Sema4 (NASDAQ:SMFR), SOPHiA Genetics (NASDAQ:SOPH), and Caribou Biosciences (NASDAQ:CRBU) debut on the Nasdaq, and sequencing of 640,000 exomes resulted in the identification of mutations associated with protection from obesity.

This July news update has been sponsored by:

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• ‘A Few Mutations Away’: The Threat of a Vaccine-Proof Variant
• Covid-19 Breakthrough Infections in Vaccinated Health Care Workers
• Six Month Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine
• How the coronavirus infects cells — and why Delta is so dangerous An outstanding overview with great visuals of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters and exists the cell.
• CDC changes mask guidance to maximize protection from the Delta variant 
• CoVizu: Making visual sense of variation in SARS-CoV-2 genomes
• Unvaccinated States Feel Brunt of Delta-Led Covid Uptick
• J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine may trigger neurological condition in rare cases, FDA says

Funding

• Three more companies price IPOs, bringing this year’s raise up to $11.78B Nuvalent, Icosavax, and Rallybio priced their public debut. So far, 92 companies have priced or filed for IPOs this year, raising a massive $11.78 billion and surpassing last year’s count of 91 public debuts.
• Deep Genomics Raises $180M in Series C Financing
• Strata Oncology Completes $90 Million Series C Financing 
• IPO Raises $304M for Caribou, Developer of Gene-Edited Cell Therapies
• IMIDomics^TM Closes $16.5 Million Series A Financing to Advance its Precision Discovery Platform for Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases
• NIH funds new effort to discover genetic causes of single-gene disorders
• Johns Hopkins spinoff, Bayesian Health, building risk prediction tools emerges with $15M They are building machine learning models for sepsis detection, patient deterioration and bedsores
• Spire Health Closed A $38M Financing Round To Expand Commercialization Of Respiratory Remote Patient Monitoring Platform
• Sema4 Closes Transaction with CM Life Sciences, Debuts as Publicly Traded AI-driven Genomic & Clinical Data Platform Company
• Truveta Grows to Represent More Than 15% of all U.S. Patient Care with Three New Health Provider Members, closing Series A with $95 Million in Funding
• AI Startup Lunit Secures Investment from Guardant Health in a Strategic Funding Round
• Swiss health tech company SOPHiA GENETICS sets terms for $234 million US IPO
• Prime Medicine Launches with $315 Million Financing to Deliver on the Promise of Prime Editing
• Digital-Health Investment Boom Speeds Ahead With First-Half Jump
• Glitter or gold? What the SPAC trend means for digital health Rock Health shares insights and analysis on how the digital health’s SPAC boom will impact four different stakeholder groups, as well as implications for the entire ecosystem.
• Bayesian Health Launches with Research-Backed AI Platform Enabling Health Systems – Raises $15M in Venture Funding
• Linus Health rakes in $55M for early Alzheimer’s screening, monitoring platform
• Biotech startup Xilis using AI to take guesswork out of cancer drug selection raises $70M
• SOPHiA GENETICS Announces Filing of Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering
• Caribou Biosciences, Inc (CRBU) Files up to $100M IPO

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Immunai acquires Nebion – not too long ago we did an interview with Philip Zimmerman, CEO of Nebion
• Amgen To Acquire Privately Held Teneobio For $900 Million In Cash With Future Contingent Milestone Payments
• PerkinElmer to Acquire Antibody and Reagent Leader BioLegend for approximately $5.25B in a combination of cash and stock, subject to certain adjustments.
• Genetic Technologies Strengthens Global Leadership in Genomics with Acquisition of EasyDNA

Precision Medicine

• How Integrated Data Management Systems Can Support Diagnostic Labs An interview with Vasu Rangadass, CEO at L7 Informatics
• Why Decentralized Clinical Trials Are the Wave of the Future

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• Inaugural episode of “Close to the Edge” with Kevin Davis & Alex Phillipidis chatting with Christian Henry, CEO at PacBio
• Genomic Analysis Software

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• DeepMind AI will release the structure of every protein known to assist researchers

CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing

• World Health Organization advisers urge global effort to regulate genome editing

Single Cell / Spatial Genomics

• Single-cell analysis enters the multiomics age

Miscellaneous

• Google Cloud rolls out technology to map medical records data to FHIR standard
• CMS proposes to cover mental health virtual visits through 2022
• Amazon Web Services introduces AWS for Health
• Microsoft, Teladoc partner on virtual care integration for hospitals
• EU set to launch full-scale investigation into Grail-Illumina deal amid antitrust concerns — report
• NVIDIA Launches UK’s Most Powerful Supercomputer, for Research in AI and Healthcare Enables UK researchers in digital biology, genomics, quantum computing and AI – partners include AstraZeneca, GSK, Guy’s and St Thomas’​ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd.
• ASHG Honors Dr. C. Thomas Caskey with the 2021 William Allan Award

Publications

• Artificial intelligence in structural biology is here to stay
• Results of the Genetic Counselor SARS-CoV-2 Impact Survey from the National Society of Genetic Counselors: Progress and penalty during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Genomes for Kids: The scope of pathogenic mutations in pediatric cancer revealed by comprehensive DNA and RNA sequencing Study demonstrates the power of a three-platform approach that incorporates WGS to interrogate and interpret the full range of genomic variants across newly diagnosed as well as relapsed/refractory pediatric cancers.
• Comprehensive clinical sequencing opens door to the promise of precision medicine
• Gene therapy can provide neuroprotection to prevent glaucoma vision loss
• The first molecular map to explain the development of the human cerebellum
• Sequencing of 640,000 exomes identifies GPR75 variants associated with protection from obesity
• Optical genome mapping enables constitutional chromosomal aberration detection Next generation cytogenetics with Optical Genome Mapping for the detection of clinically relevant somatic and constitutional structural variants. 

News for the month of June 2021

Over the month of June a new normal has been developing in some areas of the world where a significant proportion of the population is now vaccinated, while at the same time the highly transmissible delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is putting parts of Europe, North America, and Africa on alert, in some cases already delaying the full reopening of some societies like in the UK. In other developments, some good news reveal that a vaccination with the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine may ward off COVID-19 for years and not just months, And yet again, the scare of a third wave is prevalent in some countries.
During the month of June we also saw the marketing clearance of the much debated Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm, by the FDA which resulted in the resignation of three FDA advisers due to the fact that the approval was based on incomplete or unpublished data.

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants WHO list of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest.
• Swedish study reveals how long immunity lasts after mild COVID
• COVID-19 vaccine success enables a bolder vision for mRNA cancer vaccines, says BioNTech CEO Uğur Şahin, an oncologist and mRNA pioneer, discusses his firm’s development plans for cancer vaccines, mRNA-encoded proteins and more.
• SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans The data shows that immunity to the coronavirus may exist for years with circulating resting memory B cells directed against SARS-CoV-2 being detected in the convalescent individuals.
• CureVac fails in pivotal COVID-19 vaccine trial with 47% efficacy The disappointing efficacy of the shot known as CVnCoV emerged from an interim analysis based on 134 COVID-19 cases in the study with about 40,000 volunteers in Europe and Latin America. CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine was only 47% effective in a late-stage trial, missing the study’s main goal and throwing in doubt the potential delivery of hundreds of millions of doses to the European Union.
• US to spend $3.2B on treatments for COVID-19, other viruses
• Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants contain mutations that interfere with genomic sequencing Discusses a recent study that shows how mutations in newly emerging lineages of SARS-CoV-2 may disrupt the sequencing process and thus interfere with this important area of research and genomic surveillance. 
• New Study Determines People Who’ve Had COVID-19 Don’t Need to Get Vaccinated
• Novavax Covid-19 vaccine highly effective in late-stage trial, long-awaited results show The vaccine showed 90% protection against laboratory-confirmed symptomatic infection.
• Community-level evidence for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine protection of unvaccinated individuals
• Antibodies elicited by mRNA-1273 vaccination bind more broadly to the receptor binding domain than do those from SARS-CoV-2 infection This means single RBD mutations have less impact on neutralization by vaccine sera compared to convalescent sera – based on the results from a COVID-19 patient study who received the Moderna mRNA vaccine.
• ‘A perilous point’: Global agencies call for $50 billion investment to combat Covid-19 With additional funding to COVAX, a WHO vaccine distribution program, the global agencies maintained that the current goal of vaccinating roughly 30% of the populations in low and middle-income countries could be widened to 40% and, possibly 60% by the first half of 2022. And ultimately, added investment could generate an estimated $9 trillion in additional global output by 2025, according to an IMF analysis.

Funding

• Foresight Diagnostics Completes Series A Financing to Accelerate Development of its Industry-Leading Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Technology
• Torus Biosystems Announces $25 Million Series A Financing to Advance Infectious Disease Diagnostics Across Healthcare Settings
• Element Biosciences Closes $276 Million Series C Financing to Democratize Access to Genomics
• SAGA Diagnostics raises SEK 106 million (€10.5 million) to accelerate commercialization of ultrasensitive cancer liquid biopsies
• Cathie Wood funds rally as gene editing is one step closer to becoming reality
• Strand Therapeutics Raises $52M in Oversubscribed Series A Round
• 23andMe: Genetics Goes Public
• The united states plans to invest $400 billion in elder care – what does this mean for age tech?
• ADELA debuts with $60M in Series A Financing and a Breakthrough Approach to Blood-Based Detection of Cancer and Other Diseases Adela, a Toronto-based startup looking to develop a liquid biopsy test based on detecting DNA methylation.
• xCures raises $12.69 million in Series A funding for their AI-powered precision oncology platform
• Helix Announces $50M Series C Funding to Continue Acceleration into Clinical Population Genomics and COVID-19 Viral Surveillance
• China’s Stemirna raises about $200M to fund COVID-19 vaccine development
• Genoox accelerates genomic data community platform expansion with $8M round and appointment of new Board Chair

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Humana acquires Onehome to pursue value-based home health strategy Humana’s goal is to to beef up its at-home care offerings, as a growing number of payers foray into direct medical delivery.
• One Medical to acquire Iora Health in $2.1B all-stock deal
• German drug maker Morphosys to buy Constellation Pharma in $1.7 billion deal

Precision Medicine

• How CVS Health Plans To Leverage Its Business To Do Better Clinical Trials For Drugs
• How scientists are embracing NFTs
• PierianDx and Intermountain Healthcare Combine Expertise to Advance Myriad Genetics’ Tumor Test Offering
• NIH’s All of Us Research Program records significant progress in participant diversity and research underway More than 386,000 adults have consented to be part of this landmark initiative with 278,000 adults completing all core initial steps of the program, including answering surveys, allowing access to electronic health records, and sharing bio samples. More than 80 percent of participants come from communities that have been historically underrepresented in biomedical research, making the All of Us dataset one of the largest and most diverse of its kind.
• Children’s Hospital LA Awarded $2M for Precision Medicine Study Adverse childhood experiences include abuse, neglect, racism, and witnessing economic hardships. These experiences can have negative psychological effects on children. The study will utilize precision medicine techniques to pinpoint biomarkers of early-life stress.

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• Foundation Medicine Launches FoundationOne®Tracker ctDNA Monitoring Assay for Research Use in Partnership with Natera
• A new age of genetic screening is coming — and we don’t have any rules for it The conversation we need involves the use of polygenic scores, or PGS. A PGS is single number that sums up measurable genetic influence on a given trait; you can think of it as a credit score for your genes. 

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• Machine learning is booming in medicine. It’s also facing a credibility crisis Hundreds of studies flooded onto preprint servers and into medical journals claiming to demonstrate AI’s ability to perform those tasks with high accuracy. It wasn’t until many months later that a research team from the University of Cambridge in England began examining the models — more than 400 in total — and reached a much different conclusion: Every single one was fatally flawed.

Liquid Biopsy

• Natera and BGI Genomics Announce Commercial Launch of the BGI/Natera Signatera Assay in China
• Blood test that finds 50 types of cancer is accurate enough to be rolled out Grail’s cell-free DNA (cfDNA) diagnostic tool being piloted by NHS England shows ‘impressive results’ in spotting tumors in early stages
• Grail starts selling multi-cancer liquid biopsy Galleri in the US

CRISPR / Cas9 Genome Editing

• Hitting landmark milestone, Intellia shows CRISPR can edit genes directly in patients
• Intellia and Regeneron Announce Landmark Clinical Data Showing Deep Reduction in Disease-Causing Protein After Single Infusion of NTLA-2001, an Investigational CRISPR Therapy for Transthyretin (ATTR) Amyloidosis
• Genetic base editing treats sickle cell disease in mice A team led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has now demonstrated a base editing approach that efficiently corrects the mutation underlying SCD in patient blood stem cells and in mice.

Single Cell / Spatial Genomics

• New Spatial Omics Partnership (Veranome Biosystems LLC and Portal Bioscience LLC ) Aims to Accelerate Understanding of Complex Disease Biology
• Akoya to Partner with Nikon, CrestOptics and Andor to Enable New Spatial Biology Applications through the Imaging Innovators (I2) Network
• 10x Genomics Unlocks Whole Transcriptome Analysis in FFPE Tissues With New Visium Assay, Now Shipping
• Akoya and AstraZeneca to Collaborate on Spatial Biology Approach to Profiling Tumor-Immune Biology
• Akoya Announces Rollout of Strategic Clinical Research Program to Advance Adoption of Spatial Biology for Clinical Applications
• Resolve Biosciences Launches Commercial Molecular Cartography™ Services to Provide Scientists with Highest-Resolution View of Subcellular Gene Expression

Miscellaneous

• Roche’s Genentech launches new alliance aimed at achieving greater diversity in cancer trials
• SciBite and L7 Informatics Partner to Deliver Data Ontology Search Through L7|ESP™
• The Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Coalition Welcomes Two New Members – PGDx and Sema4
• Pacific Biosciences and RCIGM Announce its First Collaboration for Whole Genome Sequencing Research
• AstraZeneca Goes All-In On Biomarker Testing & Education
• Pfizer CEO, Albert Bourla, discusses mRNA Vaccines, R&D, and Drug Costs
• How a Sharp-Eyed Scientist Became Biology’s Image Detective A great The New Yorker article about Elisabeth Bik, the microbiologist that looks for potentially doctored scientific images.
• Apple Struggles in Push to Make Healthcare Its Greatest Legacy Apple’s digital health app launched quietly this year has struggled to keep users engaged. Some questions are raised about the integrity of health data coming from the company’s clinics that has been used to support product development.
• What We Learned Doing Fast Grants How COVID-19-related research was expedited and what can learn from it.
• When his suspicion went unanswered, this biologist decided to reject his own study
• NIH awards $38 million to improve utility of polygenic risk scores in diverse populations The new consortium will pool genomic information from existing and new datasets to develop and evaluate the methods used for calculating polygenic risk scores for specific diseases, with an emphasis on studying people from different ancestries. Researchers will also identify best practices to ensure that the scores accurately predict disease across diverse populations.
• Ed Yong of The Atlantic wins the Pulitzer Prize For a series of lucid, definitive pieces on the COVID-19 pandemic that anticipated the course of the disease, synthesized the complex challenges the country faced, illuminated the U.S. government’s failures and provided clear and accessible context for the scientific and human challenges it posed.
• Dr. Michael Snyder on Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Deep Profiling for Personalized Medicine – a podcast
• FDA’s $6.5B Budget Request Targets Opioid Epidemic
• CareDx To Acquire Transplant Hero Medication Management Application
• Maryland and Montana are restricting police access to DNA databases
• Will you accept this capital investment? Biotech and health startups bet on a strange new reality show for crowdfunding A panel of judges, who debate whether to invest on air, incl. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios, and former NSYNC band member Lance Bass. Together, the seven judges form “The Circle of Money,” where companies must venture for cash and validation.
• Genomenon and Nostos Genomics Partner to Accelerate Rare Genetic Disease Diagnoses
• Former FDA official Abernethy joins Google health spinoff Abernethy will become the president of the clinical research business at Alphabet’s health information technology arm Verily
• Amazon Web Services Aims to Remove Computational ‘Heavy Lifting’ for Genomics Customers

Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm

• Three F.D.A. Advisers Resign Over Agency’s Approval of Alzheimer’s Drug
• Landmark Alzheimer’s drug approval confounds research community Researchers’ concerns now centre on aducanumab’s tumultuous passage through clinical trials and the resulting data set, which is incomplete and unpublished.
• FDA grants historic approval to Alzheimer’s drug designed to slow cognitive decline FDA approved first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly two decades. While other drugs treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s, this new drug, called Aduhelm, is the first to attack what some believe is an underlying cause of the disease and slow cognitive decline, albeit marginally. The FDA granted marketing clearance to the drug over the strong objections of a panel of independent experts it convened in November.

Publications

• CRISPR-Cas9 In Vivo Gene Editing for Transthyretin Amyloidosis In a small group of patients with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy, administration of NTLA-2001 was associated with only mild adverse events and led to decreases in serum TTR protein concentrations through targeted knockout of TTR.
• Advancing human genetics research and drug discovery through exome sequencing of the UK Biobank
• The RNA Atlas expands the catalog of human non-coding RNAs The most comprehensive RNA-Atlas ever – 300 human cell and tissue types and three sequencing methods
• Tissue-resident macrophages provide a pro-tumorigenic niche to early NSCLC cells
• Mutations in emerging variant of concern lineages disrupt genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 clinical specimens
• Naturally enhanced neutralizing breadth against SARS-CoV-2 one year after infection
• Three-dimensional folding dynamics of the Xenopus tropicalis genome Study shows that X. tropicalis is a powerful model for chromosome architecture analysis and suggests that chromatin remodeling plays an essential role in de novo TAD establishment.
• The emerging landscape of single-molecule protein sequencing technologies This article describes new single-molecule protein sequencing and identification technologies alongside innovations in mass spectrometry that will eventually enable broad sequence coverage in single-cell profiling which will facilitate biological discovery and open new avenues for ultrasensitive disease diagnostics.
• Mice fathers pass down stress responses to offspring via sperm
• Detect-seq reveals out-of-protospacer editing and target-strand editing by cytosine base editors
• A complete human genome sequence is close: how scientists filled in the gaps Researchers added 200 million DNA base pairs and 115 protein-coding genes — but they’ve yet to entirely sequence the Y chromosome.

News for the month of May 2021

May brought interesting funding rounds:  Causaly raised $17M (Series A), Bluestart Genomics $70M (Series C), GenapSys $70M (Series D), while Singular Genomics is seeking an IPO and Ginkgo Bioworks is coming to market via a SPAC. Additional May highlights included: ACMG has released an updated policy statement and gene list for the reporting of secondary findings (SF), Aetion, Flatiron Health, IQVIA, Syapse, and Tempus launched a RWE alliance, and the Senate weighs investing $120 Billion in Science to bolster the United States’ ability to compete with China.

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Oh those variants –  Anu Acharya, CEO, Mapmygenome India explains the need for expanding genome sequencing of COVID-19 samples and the significance of the variants discovered so far
• Researchers show SARS-CoV-2 genes can be integrated into the human genome
• WHO classifies triple-mutant Covid variant from India as global health risk
• AstraZeneca weighs seeking full, not emergency, US approval for Covid-19 shot, reports WSJ
• Real-world studies detail high Pfizer COVID vaccine protection
• New analysis finds global Covid death toll is double official estimates
• U.S. will back proposal to waive intellectual property rights and boost Covid-19 vaccine production The proposal, which was first introduced before the World Trade Organization last fall by South Africa and India, would cover patents, industrial designs, copyrights, and protection of trade secrets. Ultimately, a waiver would make it easier for countries that permit compulsory licensing to allow a manufacturer to export vaccines. The move came amid growing concern that low- and middle-income countries were being left out after wealthy nations reached deals with vaccine makers.

Funding

• Engine Biosciences raises $43M in Series to decipher genetic codes for new medicines through machine learning and combinatorial genetics
• Causaly raises $17 million to accelerate medical research, drug discovery and delivery of scientific breakthroughs
• Left out of SPAC pack, BioTheryX raises $92M in rare series E to hold over until potential end of year IPO
• Caris Life Sciences Raises $830 Million in Growth Equity Capital to Continue to Expand its Precision Medicine Platform
• Singular Genomics is latest early stage San Diego startup to seek an IPO
• Bluestar Genomics Closes $70M Series C Funding, Expands Scientific Advisory Board
• Flagship debuts Laronde to develop RNA-based meds that could turn cells into protein factories Laronde launches with $50M
• Biocartis Receives EUR 1.4m Grant to Support Development of New Idylla™ Technology to Unlock Potential in Molecular Surveillance
• Ginkgo Bioworks IPO: Biotech Bringing Stock via $15 Billion SPAC Deal
• AI-enabled fertility company Alife scores $9.5M in Seed funding – Alife also added Deena Shakir, a partner at Lux Capital, to its board of directors.
• Perlmutter named CEO of Eikon, which raised $148M in Series A and applies super-resolution fluorescence microscopy—technology to drug discovery The startup disclosed the hiring of the former president of Merck Research Laboratories alongside news that it has raised a $148 million series A round
• GenapSys rakes in $70M for tabletop genomic sequencing platform
• binx health Raises $104 Million in Series E Financing

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Agreement to Acquire Fungal Platform Technology Company Dutch DNA
• PerkinElmer To Acquire Nexcelom Bioscience For $260M
• Fulgent Genetics Announces Incremental Strategic Investment in Chinese Joint Venture, FF Gene Biotech
• Exact Sciences Continues M&A Strategy to Reach Further Into Cancer Dx Market and acquires PFS Genomics
• Roivant Sciences and Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp. (MAAC) to Merge via a SPAC

Precision Medicine

• Guardant360® CDx Receives FDA Approval as First and Only Liquid Biopsy Companion Diagnostic for Amgen’s LUMAKRAS™ (sotorasib) KRASG12C Inhibitor for Use in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Genome UK: 2021 to 2022 implementation plan The plan includes to improve diversity of genomic data, the roll-out of whole genome sequencing to patients with a suspected rare disease, to deliver the first phase of a next-generation approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and to pilot participant recruitment processes.
• ACMG Releases Two Important Secondary Findings Policies: Announces Recommendations for Future SF Reporting and New SF v3.0 List, with Plans to Update SF List Annually
• ZS Associates and Seven Bridges Partner to Innovate Drug Research and Propel Precision Medicine
• AdventHealth and Sema4 Launch a Data-driven Precision Medicine Program to Optimize Patient Care and Outcomes

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing

• CRISPR Editing in Primates
• Eliminating base-editor-induced genome-wide and transcriptome-wide off-target mutations
• The next frontier for synthetic lethality in cancer – CRISPR screens and machine learning are unlocking the potential of synthetic lethality to treat patients with ‘undruggable’ cancers.
• Scientists Have Created A New Gene-Editing Tool That Could Outperform CRISPR – It is faster and simpler than CRISPR, enabling millions of genetic experiments to be performed simultaneously.
• CRISPR diagnostics

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• Genomic Health Announces Favorable Draft Local Coverage Determination from Palmetto GBA® on Medicare Coverage for the Oncotype DX® Prostate Cancer Test
• EchelonDx And Cradle Genomics Join Forces To Accelerate Development Of Comprehensive Non-Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Products

Single Cell / Spatial Genomics

• Use single-cell biology to shed light on pediatric diseases currently in the dark By Priscilla Chan (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative)
• Vizgen Launches Data Release Program, Shares Spatial Genomics Mouse Brain Map
• Akoya and ZEISS to Co-Market Innovative CODEX® Spatial Biology Workflow
• Single-Cell, Spatial Analysis Creates COVID-19 Tissue Atlases

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• Quest partners with Paige to create AI-enabled cancer pathology products The collaboration pairs Paige’s AI capabilities and digitized pathology slide data with Quest’s scale and pathology expertise.

RWE / RWD

• Leading Real-World Data and Analytics Organizations Form Industry Coalition to Advance Policies to Support Regulatory Use of Real-World Evidence

Miscellaneous

• U.S. Senate Unanimously Confirms Dr. Eric Lander to Become Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Scientific panel loosens ’14-day rule’ limiting how long human embryos can be grown in the lab
• Scientists rally around misconduct consultant facing legal threat after challenging COVID-19 drug researcher Elisabeth Bik, a scientific integrity consultant is being accused of harassment and blackmail by a lawyer representing Didier Raoult, a controversial microbiologist at the Hospital Institute of Marseille (IHU) Mediterranean Infection in France. Bik discussed in detail the problems associated with the hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 study published in May 2020 by Raoult.
• What Amazon’s potential move into at-home medical tests could mean for the market
• Gene therapy restores immune function in children with rare immunodeficiency
• 2021 Warren Alpert Prize Awarded to Two Scientists for RNA Discoveries
• Senate Weighs Investing $120 Billion in Science to Counter China The legislation has drawn bipartisan support amid the coronavirus pandemic as Democrats and Republicans have become increasingly concerned about Beijing’s supply chain dominance.
• Illumina, Roche Agree to Settle NIPT Patent Lawsuits
• Berkeley will auction NFTs of invention disclosure forms filed by the creators of CRISPR and cancer immunotherapy
• Guardant Health Files Lawsuit Against Natera for Misleading Oncologists

Publication

• Interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and human long non-coding RNAs
• Map of Human Vascular Expression Highlights its Potential Role in Alzheimer’s
• Single-cell RNA sequencing of blood antigen-presenting cells in severe COVID-19 reveals multi-process defects in antiviral immunity
• Human tissue preserved since World War I yields new clues about 1918 pandemic
• Fresh insight into protein production inside brain cells could help tackle Parkinson’s
• Single-Cell Study Offers New Clue into Causes of Cystic Fibrosis

News for the month of April 2021

Some of the April highlights included: Israel’s COVID deaths hit zero with almost 60% of its population being vaccinated; the FDA and CDC lifted the recommended pause on J&J COVID vaccine use following thorough safety review after a two weeks pause due to safety concerns; Illumina filed action for annulment of European Commissions’ decision asserting jurisdiction to review the acquisition of GRAIL; and Geisinger was awarded $3.6M to study genetics of cancer.

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Study reveals a hidden role of circulating microRNA as a driver of SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Vaccines Won’t Protect Millions of Patients With Weakened Immune Systems Many cannot produce enough infection-fighting cells to fend off the coronavirus. But researchers are testing one therapy that may help: monoclonal antibodies.
• One million coronavirus sequences: popular genome site hits mega milestone GISAID’s impressive effort to understand the spread of COVID-19 has seen scientists upload sequences from most nations on Earth.
• SARS-CoV genome sequencing to be ramped up
• Ceres Nanosciences Receives $8.2M NIH Award to Improve Wastewater-Based COVID-19 Surveillance
• Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
• Multilevel proteomics reveals host perturbations by SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV

Funding

• Seven Bridges Announces Initial Close of Series C Funding from New Strategic Investor to Accelerate Product Development and Commercial Growth
• MCI Onehealth Announces Investment in Ariel Precision Medicine
• Seqster Raises $12M Series A to Accelerate the Adoption of its Healthcare Data Interoperability Technology
• EdiGene Raises Approximately USD 62 Million in Series B (October 2020) Plus Financing and Expands Operation Locations to Advance and Scale Up Clinical Translation of Gene Editing Technologies
• Akoya, Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering and Full Exercise of the Underwriters’ Option to Purchase Additional Shares
• Nucleix Secures $55 Million Funding Led by RA Capital Management and Additional Prominent Life Science Investors to Advance Lung EpiCheck® for Early Detection of Lung Cancer
• Vizgen Secures $37M Series B Financing to Advance Spatial Genomics Through Commercialization of MERSCOPE™ Platform
• Inscripta Announces the First Commercial Shipment of Its Onyx^™ Digital Genome Engineering Platform and Closes $150 Million in New Financing

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Illumina Files Action for Annulment of European Commission’s Decision Asserting Jurisdiction to Review GRAIL Acquisition
• Thermo Fisher Scientific to Acquire PPD, Inc., a Leading Clinical Research Organization
• DiaSorin to acquire Luminex Corporation for USD 37.00 per share or approximately USD 1.8 billion
• Hologic to Acquire Mobidiag, Innovator in Near-Patient, Acute Care Diagnostic Testing, for Approximately $795 Million
• Invitae to acquire Genosity to accelerate access to personalized oncology testing worldwide for $200M

Precision Medicine

• NorthShore and Sema4 Launch System-Wide Genomics Program to Improve Primary and Specialty Care with Data-Driven Insights
• Sequencing Study Finds Over 500 Structural Variants Linked to Hereditary Cancer and Cardiovascular Disorders
• The University of Alabama at Birmingham of Medicine and UAB Hospital laboratorieshave launched the Genomic Diagnostics Lab (GDL), an effort to increase genetic testing and advance precision medicine therapies help develop precision medicine treatments.
• Geisinger awarded $3.6 million to study genetics of cancer Contract with NCI will leverage data from Geisinger’s MyCode Community Health Initiative
• Study Uses Foundation Medicine Database to Map Common DDR Genes in Solid Tumors
• Why Prioritizing Genomic Research Is Critical for The Future of Healthcare
• BC Platforms Partners with TripleBlind to Power Federated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Privacy Approaches
• Genomenon and Limbus Partner to Advance Genomic Variant Interpretation

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• Research advances emerging DNA sequencing technology
• Nanopore Sequencing Firm Armonica Technologies Progresses Towards Single-Base Detection

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing

• CRISPR Screening Combined with Chromatin Accessibility Sequencing Researchers have developed a genetic screening platform that jointly captures CRISPR gene perturbations and single-cell chromatin accessibility genome-wide. The new platform could help researchers study how links between genetic changes and chromatin accessibility may contribute to diseases such as cancer.
• The potential of CRISPR-based diagnostic assays and treatment approaches against COVID-19
• Scientists call for awareness of unintended mutations from CRISPR
• New CRISPR technology offers unrivaled control of epigenetic inheritance
• Genome-wide programmable transcriptional memory by CRISPR-based epigenome editing Novel CRISPR-based tool called “CRISPRoff” allows scientists to switch off any gene without making a single edit to the genetic code. Gene remains switched off in the cell’s descendants for hundreds of generations, unless switched back on w/CRISPRon.
• The 221b Foundation Grants Licenses to Multiple Organizations to Develop and Distribute CRISPR COVID-19 Diagnostic Kits Globally The 221b Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by Sherlock Biosciences to address the global COVID-19 pandemic while promoting diverse representation in STEM.
• Chromothripsis as an on-target consequence of CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• Congenica and Camtech Diagnostics agree strategic partnership to support genomic analysis expansion in Asia
• IDbyDNA Shares Insights on Role of Metagenomics for Tracking COVID-19 on New Illumina Podcast
• Invitae joins NIH-sponsored study aimed at improving understanding of the links between genes and cancer, heart disease and other conditions

Liquid Biopsy

• Genetron Health Releases 22 New Research Results at American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting (AACR) 2021
• Madison-based Exact Sciences broadens scope in cancer diagnostics
• SEngine Precision Medicine’s PARIS® Test Identifies Novel Therapeutic Options for Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma in Study Published in AACR’s Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
• Delfi Diagnostics Begins Enrollment for Prospective Lung Cancer Screening Trial ahead of Planned Commercial Test

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• NSG and Acclivis sign deal to develop AI genomics workflow – Singapore company NSG signs an MOU with Acclivis to create a new cloud-based workflow for its AI genomics platform

Miscellaneous

• Biden Administration Announces New Genomic Sequencing Funding and Initiatives
• In a first, FDA cites violation of clinical trials reporting law Acceleron Pharma was cited for its failure to provide data from a completed trial of its experimental drug to treat kidney cancer.
• Church joins the NFT craze with plans to auction off his genome George Church’s NFT will comprise all of his personal genomic sequencing data, plus a digital artwork depicting the scientist and his #genome.
• Google is exploring a health record tool for patients
• When a cardiologist flagged the lack of diversity at premier medical journals, the silence was telling
• Amazon to Give Out $12M Under Next Phase of AWS Diagnostics Development Initiative
• NIH experts call for accelerated research to address concurrent HIV and COVID-19 pandemics
• Biden, Congress roll out big plans to expand National Science Foundation The size of the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget increase, including how much would go to the new directorate, is still very much up in the air. But “the idea is to massively expand the budget and mission of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help the United States out-innovate China is gaining political momentum in Washington, D.C.”

Publications

• New cancer algorithm flags genetic weaknesses in tumours
• Genomic study points to new treatment approaches for advanced small-cell lung cancer
• ExoSTING, an extracellular vesicle loaded with STING agonists, promotes tumor immune surveillance
• A comprehensive characterization of the cell-free transcriptome reveals tissue- and subtype-specific biomarkers for cancer detection
• Synonymous variants that disrupt messenger RNA structure are significantly constrained in the human population
• Mapping Severe COVID-19 in the Lungs at Single-Cell Resolution
• Genomic characteristics and clinical effect of the emergent SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage in London, UK: a whole-genome sequencing and hospital-based cohort study
• Endothelial dysfunction and immunothrombosis as key pathogenic mechanisms in COVID-19
• Quantifying single-cell ERK dynamics in colorectal cancer organoids reveals EGFR as an amplifier of oncogenic MAPK pathway signalling

News for the month of March 2021

The March highlights were across all areas of genomics and precision medicine and included: Spatial transcriptomics taking – yet again – center stage at the annual AGBT conference; the FTC challenging Illumina’s proposed acquisition of cancer detection test maker Grail; Insightful Science acquiring Dotmatics (the deal is valued at $690M USD); Roche acquiring GenMark Diagnostics in a $1.8B deal; the SEC charging uBiome co-founders with $60M fraud; and machine learning-driven drug discovery and development raising $400M (Insitro Series C round).  

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Is COVID-19 poised to become an annual seasonal infection?
• CDC and NIH bring COVID-19 self-testing to residents in two locales As many as 160,000 residents across the two communities will have access to free, rapid antigen tests that they can administer themselves to use three times a week for one month. 
• People Who Already Had Covid-19 Might Not Need A Second Dose Of The Vaccine, Study Finds
• Israeli Study Offers First Real-World Glimpse of COVID-19 Vaccines in Action Large clinical trials study shows that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be up to 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19.
• Got Questions About Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine? We Have Answers A great article to why we should not disregard the Johnson & Johnson COVID19 vaccine too early.
• How Do COVID-19 Vaccines Compare? A side-by-side look at the three vaccines authorized in the U.S.
• The short-term, middle-term, and long-term future of the coronavirus
• BioNTech founders receive one of Germany’s highest honors The founders of BioNTech, Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin, will receive the Knight Commander’s Cross of the Federal Order of Merit for developing a coronavirus vaccine, Germany’s presidential office announced on Friday. 
• Merck to Help Produce Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine; BARDA to Provide Merck With Funding to Expand Merck’s Manufacturing Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccines and Medicines The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will provide Merck with funding of up to $268.8 million to adapt and make available a number of existing manufacturing facilities for the production of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.
• Antibody Response Affects COVID-19 Outcomes in Kids and Adults New study shows that the antibody responses in kids and adults with mild COVID-19 are quite similar. However, the complications seen in kids with MIS-C and adults with severe COVID-19 appear to be driven by two distinctly different types of antibodies involved in different aspects of the immune response.
• Investigational AstraZeneca vaccine prevents COVID-19

Funding

• British Biotech Oxford Nanopore Prepares for $3 Billion London IPO
• Genomenon Completes $5.3M Financing Round
• insitro Raises $400 Million in Series C Financing
• Caribou Biosciences Raises $115M Series C Financing to Advance Next-Generation CRISPR Technologies and Allogeneic Cell Therapy Pipeline
• Acuity Spatial Genomics Announces Formation to Open up New Frontiers for in situ, Spatial 3D Genomics
• Genomics plc completes oversubscribed $30M funding round
• ElevateBio Scales Disruptive Cell and Gene Therapy Business Model with $525 Million Series C Financing
• A defining moment for digital behavioral health: Four market trends 2020 was the biggest year yet for the digital behavioral health market with companies raking in a record $2.4B in venture funding.

Mergers & Acquisitions

• FTC Challenges Illumina’s Proposed Acquisition of Cancer Detection Test Maker Grail citing the proposed acquisition will diminish innovation in the U.S. market for MCED tests.
• Insightful Science Joins Forces with Dotmatics to Form a Leading Cloud-First Scientific R&D Company
• IDT Acquires Swift Biosciences, a Pioneer in the Development of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Library Preparation Genomics Kits for Academic, Translational, and Clinical Research
• Roche to acquire GenMark Diagnostics in $1.8B deal
• Bio-Techne to Acquire Asuragen for up to $320M
• Agilent to Acquire Resolution Bioscience, Strengthening Leadership Position in Cancer Diagnostics Combination brings together Resolution Bioscience’s noninvasive liquid biopsy platform for cancer diagnostics with Agilent’s tissue-based companion diagnostics and global commercial and regulatory scale.
• Hologic Acquires European Molecular Diagnostic Company Diagenode for Approximately $159 Million

Precision Medicine

• Genome Sequencing in Modern Medicine: An Interview With Genomics England An interview with Richard Scott, clinical director at Genomics England.
• Oncology Platform Support for Routine Care
• How Useful is Next-Generation Sequencing for Patients with Advanced Cancer?
• IQVIA Virtual Trial Solutions Used in More than 60 Trials To date, IQVIA has enrolled more than 150,000 subjects across 10 therapy areas
• How a Digital Platform Provides Genomic Data at the Point of Care NorthShore University HealthSystem has built a digital platform that delivers genomic data to providers at the point of care.
• Foundation Medicine and InformedDNA® Collaborate to Improve Access to Genetic Counseling for Advanced Cancer Patients
• Guardant360® CDx Liquid Biopsy CE-Marked for Comprehensive Tumor Mutation Profiling Across All Solid Cancers
• Myriad Genetics Joins Forces with Intermountain Precision Genomics for a Comprehensive Offering of Germline and Somatic Tumor Testing Services
• Genialis, BioLab Partner to Improve Precision Medicine Using Data Mining

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing

• FDA approves first test of CRISPR to correct genetic defect causing sickle cell disease
• Caribou Biosciences is Armoring Cells to Fight Disease Through CRISPR
• FDA approves first test of CRISPR to correct genetic defect causing sickle cell disease
• CRISPR Fixes Rare Mutation for the First Time in a Live Animal
• CRISPR For COVID-19: Approaches To Speeding Therapeutic Discovery
• LNP Delivers CRISPR Directly to Mouse Liver, Dramatically Cuts Cholesterol Levels for Months New lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology that can package and deliver CRISPR gene editing machinery specifically to the liver.
• CRISPR-Based Anti-Viral Therapy Could One Day Foil the Flu—and COVID-19
• CRISPR Screening IDs Host Factors Essential for Coronavirus Entry into Cells
• Nobel laureate discusses his ‘favorite molecule,’ how it paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines
• CRISPR study identifies gene that plays key role in metastasis of cancers to the lungs

Spatial Transcriptomics

• NanoString’s GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler Reveals Insights into COVID-19 in Two New Nature Publications
• Spatial Surge: AGBT Updates On Single-Cell and Spatial Genomics, In Situ Analysis, More Includes product development updates from Vizgen, NanoString Technologies, Inc., Pacific Biosciences, ROSALIND (formerly OnRamp Bio), 10x Genomics, and Rebus Biosystems.
• NanoString Launches Technology Access Program for the Spatial Molecular Imager (SMI) Platform and Showcases Spatially Resolved Transcriptomic Research at AGBT 2021
• Rebus Biosystems launches spatial transcriptomics analysis platform

Real-World Data / Real-World Evidence

• Syapse Expands Strategic Collaboration with Pfizer Focusing on Real-World Evidence

Liquid Biopsy

• Genetron Health Releases New Data Results of HCCscreen™ for Liver Cancer Early Screening in China

Miscellaneous

• Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020
• FDA Approves First Cell-Based Gene Therapy for Adult Patients with Multiple Myeloma
• Amy Abernethy, deputy commissioner who aimed to amp up FDA’s tech knowhow, to leave post
• SEC charges co-founders of shuttered microbiome startup uBiome with $60 million fraud
• An Overview of Next-Generation Sequencing A great overview of next-generation sequencing, including evolution, different sequencing methodologies, sample preparation, long- vs. short-read sequencing, sequence data analysis, applications, and bottlenecks.
• NIH researchers develop guidelines for reporting polygenic risk scores
• Illumina Inks $750M Credit Facility With Bank of America The proceeds of loans under the credit facility “may be used to finance the working capital needs, and for general corporate or other lawful purposes, of Illumina and its subsidiaries,” the firm said.
• New Best Buy Health services for Apple Watch aim to keep older adults safe and independent Apple Watch users must download Lively App and subscribe to the Lively Health and Safety Services to use the Best Buy Health features on their watch. Lively Health & Safety plans start at $19.99 a month.
• Accelerating Scientific Study With Scalable Single-Cell Sequencing
• Amazon Care, Intermountain, Ascension launch hospital-at-home healthcare alliance
• QIAGEN (QGEN) Launches QIAcube Connect MDx Platform Globally
• Rock Health and Stanford Digital Health published Digital Health Consumer Adoption Report 2020 – Surveyed 4,000 consumers to understand consumer adoption of digital health technologies. Over the five years prior to 2020, adoption has steadily climbed. As the global pandemic came along in 2020, digital health solutions were not simply an enhancement anymore, but rather a necessity in healthcare access and delivery.
• Limited Diversity in Genomic Datasets May Impact Cancer Outcomes – Lack of representation of minority groups in genomic datasets could affect cancer outcomes and therapy selection.
• Dr. Eric Topol on variants, vaccines and AstraZeneca’s data reporting

Publications

• An automated framework for efficiently designing deep convolutional neural networks in genomics
• ‘Total game changer’: Pinpointing gene activity in tissues is aiding studies of COVID-19, Alzheimer’s
• Assessment of Clinical Benefit of Integrative Genomic Profiling in Advanced Solid Tumors
• Small RNA sequencing to differentiate lung squamous cell carcinomas from metastatic lung tumors from head and neck cancers
• New single-cell technology points to mechanism of cancer immunotherapy resistance Researchers used Perturb-CITE-seq to identify a protein involved in resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
• SARS-CoV-2 within-host diversity and transmission
• Genome Sequencing as an Alternative to Cytogenetic Analysis in Myeloid Cancers
• Identification of rare and common regulatory variants in pluripotent cells using population-scale transcriptomics
• Increased mortality in community-tested cases of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7
• Saarbrücken based bioinformaticians trace down molecular signals of Parkinson’s disease
• Long noncoding RNA plays a vital role in mobilizing immune response after organ transplantation
• Single-cell atlas of early human brain development highlights heterogeneity of human neuroepithelial cells and early radial glia

News for the month of February 2021

February brought on an interesting series of SPACs in the genomics sector – if you are not familiar with this term, it means Special Purpose Acquisition Company which translates into a company going public via a merger. 23andMe, Nautilus Biotechnology, and Sema4 all went public via a SPAC. 23andMe merged with Virgin Groups VG Acquisition Corp [the business combination values 23andMe at an enterprise value of ~$3.5B], Nautilus Biotechnology merged with Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III [the combined company is expected to receive proceeds of approximately $350M at the closing of the transaction], while Sema4 combined with CM Life Sciences [the combined company is expected to receive proceeds of up to ~$793M at the closing of the transaction, up to $343M of which will be paid to Sema4 stockholders and the remainder of which will be utilized by Sema4 for its business to be operated under the same Sema4 management team].

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• Pacific Biosciences Sequel II Systems Deployed to Scale-Up Global Viral Surveillance Initiatives Focused on COVID-19
• Backed by Google, epidemiologists launch a sweeping Covid-19 data platform
• 7 Virus Variants Found in U.S. Carrying the Same Mutation Scientists don’t know yet whether the mutation makes the variants more contagious, but they are concerned that it might.
• INSIGHT: A population-scale COVID-19 testing strategy combining point-of-care diagnosis with centralized high-throughput sequencing New COVID-19 testing strategy (INSIGHT) uses barcoded isothermal NASBA reaction to combine NGS and point-of-care diagnosis to hopefully achieve population-scale testing.
• Could mixing COVID vaccines boost immune response? Researchers in the United Kingdom have launched a study that will mix and match two COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to ease the daunting logistics of immunizing millions of people — and potentially boost immune responses in the process.
• Myths of Vaccine Manufacturing Derek Lowe talks about why it is impossible to suddenly unleash dozens of companies to crank out the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines – mostly due a lack of knowledge about what these vaccines are & how they’re produced.

Funding

• Orna Therapeutics Launches with over $100M Raised to Develop a New Class of Fully Engineered Circular RNA Therapies
• WuXi Diagnostics Secures US$150 Million Series B Financing to Accelerate Market Penetration in Global Diagnostics Sector
• AnchorDx Completes USD 40 Million Series C Financing to Advance Cancer Screening and Early Detection Programs
• Quantgene Raises $6 Million, Sets Marketing Partnership
• Evox Therapeutics reels in $95M to propel exosome-based pipeline
• Micronoma Raises $3.5 Million in Convertible Note Financing
• Pacific Biosciences Announces $900 Million Investment from SoftBank to Support Growth Initiatives
• Personal Genome Diagnostics Announces Close of $103 Million Series C Financing
• Illumina Accelerator Invests in Nine Genomics Startups for Second Global Cycle Includes companies in genomics, microbiome, ageing, longevity, women’s health, and more.
• Syapse Lands $68M to Expand Global Precision Oncology Data Sharing Network

Mergers & Acquisitions

• CRO consolidation continues with ICON buying PRA Health Sciences for $12B
• IBM Closes Deal to Acquire Merge Healthcare
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Acquires Leading Cell Sorting Technology from Propel Labs
• Exact Sciences To Acquire Ashion Analytics And Enter Research Collaboration With City Of Hope’s Genomics Institute, TGen
• Sema4, a Disruptive AI-driven Genomic & Clinical Data Platform Company, to Combine with CM Life Sciences to Accelerate Growth
• Next-Gen Proteomics Company Nautilus Biotechnology to List on Nasdaq Through Merger with Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp III
• 23andMe to Merge with Virgin Group’s VG Acquisition Corp. to Become Publicly-Traded Company Set to Revolutionize Personalized Healthcare and Therapeutic Development through Human Genetics The transaction is valued at an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $3.5 billion
• Veracyte to Acquire Decipher Biosciences for $600 million

Precision Medicine

• QIAGEN announces Digital Partner Program with five initial partnerships
• As All of Us moves to diversify medicine, its tech partners push to democratize research Talks about Terra, an open-source system worked on by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard , which has currently more than 15,000 users (including the All of Us Research Program with Researcher Workbench) . In January the platform announced a multiyear partnership with Microsoft but will also be available on the Google Cloud.
• Leading Health Providers Unite to Advance Patient Care by Forming Truveta Leading health providers have come together in unprecedented fashion to unite around the goal of improving the lives of those they serve through data insights. Through structuring, normalizing, and de-identifying data from these health providers, a new data platform will be built, with careful protection of patient privacy and security. This new platform, using the power of AI and machine learning, will enable unprecedented insights as providers are able to learn from each other with statistically significant scale and representation of diverse populations.
• Stanford Medicine launches in-house service for whole genome sequencing
• H3 Biomedicine Partners with Flatiron Health, Foundation Medicine for Cancer Drug Research
• NIH’s TOPMed program publishes data on over 53,000 diverse genomes
• SOPHiA GENETICS and the Spanish Lung Cancer Group Team Up to Explore the Predictive Potential of Multimodal Health Data in Resectable Stage IIIA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Is Precision Medicine Ready For Data From Billions Of Cells?
• Parexel and NeoGenomics Announce Strategic Collaboration in Precision Medicine to Improve Study Designs and Accelerate Patient Matching in Oncology Clinical Trials
• Scripps Research collaborates with Tempus to develop a predictive model of glucose responses
• Intermountain Healthcare Discussing World’s Largest Pediatric DNA Mapping Effort Intermountain Healthcare launches HerediGene: Children’s Study | will involve the voluntary collection of 50,000 DNA samples of children as young as newborns, as well as their parents and siblings who wish to participate.
• ASCO names molecular profiling of gastrointestinal cancer ‘Advance of the Year’ acknowledging improvements in treatment that have resulted from molecular testing of patients’ tumors.

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• Tempus Launches Hereditary Cancer Germline Assay, xG  This new germline sequencing assay, xG, a 52-gene panel identifies genetic variants associated with hereditary cancer syndromes and inherited risk of cancer.

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• Resolve Biosciences Announces Initial Results from Early Access Collaborations with Scientists Leading the Next Generation of Subcellular Spatial Analysis
• Natera and Personalis Partner for Personalized Monitoring in Oncology
• Twist Bioscience and Berry Genomics to Offer New NGS Solution to Advance Research and Precision Medicine
• NanoString Announces the Launch of the Whole Transcriptome Atlas with Data to be Presented at the Third Annual Spatial Genomics Summit on February 23, 202
• GenapSys Names Jason Myers CEO Myers currently serves as a member of the management team and a Director at Invitae, where he leads oncology strategy development. He joined Invitae in 2020 upon the acquisition of ArcherDX, a company he founded and led as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Liquid Biopsy

• New Study from Foundation Medicine and Collaborators Further Demonstrates the Clinical Utility of Blood-Based Comprehensive Genomic Profiling in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• Scientists publish a blueprint to apply artificial intelligence to extend human longevity
• How AI-Generated Synthetic Genomes May Improve Privacy Generative models and AGs have the potential to become valuable assets in genetic studies by providing a rich yet compact representation of existing genomes and high-quality, easy-access and anonymous alternatives for private databases.

Immunotherapy

• New CAR-T for Aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma Wins FDA Nod

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing 

• How CRISPR might help diagnose and halt dangerous outbreaks faster

Miscellaneous

• Pfizer Selects Seven Bridges to Support RNA Sequencing Data
• 20-year anniversary of publications reporting the draft human genome sequence
• GenomePaint: Interactive Visualization of the Genome GenomePaint is a web-based, interactive visualization platform for whole-genome, whole-exome, transcriptome, epigenome and 3D-genome architecture  of tumor samples. Its use, outlined in the Cancer Cell paper (10.1016/j.ccell.2020.12.011), captures the inter-relatedness between DNA variations and RNA expression, supporting in-depth exploration of both individual cancer genomes and full cohorts
• Steve Ballmer says he wishes Microsoft had entered cloud computing market earlier “I wish we probably started a year or so, two years earlier. We started actually with PaaS instead of infrastructure as a service. Probably we would do that a little bit differently. It cost us a little bit of time in the eventual battle, if you will, with AWS.”
• Pfizer and IDA Foundation Partner to Expand Access to Essential Cancer Treatments
• HDL Cholesterol Linked to Parkinson’s Disease Population study shows relationships between HDL levels and variability with incident PD
• Why Exosomes Are Being Explored as Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tools With an extensive list of biological functions, including high biological stability, intercellular messengers, among others, exosomes are becoming more widely used as biomarkers in liquid biopsies and drug delivery vehicles.
• Google Fit will soon use smartphone cameras to log heart rate and respiratory rate The new wellness features use machine learning to observe subtle changes in chest movement or blood coloration, and are slated to drop for #Pixeldevice users in the next month.
• Illumina and Sequoia Capital China Partner to Launch Genomics Incubator in China The company creation engine will focus on building life sciences startup companies advancing breakthrough applications in genomics.
• Illumina co-founder Mark Chee moves from the genome to the proteome with upstart Encodia

Publication

• Whole genome sequencing in the Middle Eastern Qatari population identifies genetic associations with 45 clinically relevant traits
• Identification of resistance pathways and therapeutic targets in relapsed multiple myeloma patients through single-cell sequencing Study defines a roadmap for integrating scRNA-seq in clinical trials, identifies a signature of highly resistant MM patients and discovers PPIA as a potent therapeutic target for these tumors.
• New immunotherapy target discovered for malignant brain tumors
• Large-scale study finds genetic testing technology falsely detects very rare variants
• Systematic detection of brain protein-coding genes under positive selection during primate evolution and their roles in cognition
• LincRNA-immunity landscape analysis identifies EPIC1 as a regulator of tumor immune evasion and immunotherapy resistance
• How dark matter of the genome interacts with mitochondria—and affects the fate of cancer
• Dynamics of RNA–protein interactions studied in living cells
• Sequencing of 53,831 diverse genomes from the NHLBI TOPMed Program
• Opposing immune and genetic mechanisms shape oncogenic programs in synovial sarcoma First peer-reviewed study using GeoMx DSP with next generation sequencing readout.
• Biallelic loss-of-function in NRAP is a cause of recessive dilated cardiomyopathy
• Long Noncoding RNA JAKMIP2-AS1 Promotes the Growth of Colorectal Cancer and Indicates Poor Prognosis
• Intranasal influenza vaccine spurs strong immune response in Phase 1 study
• Sixteen novel lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa Researchers analyzed 1,365 genomes and identified 16 new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 containing unique mutations. They found the most widespread C lineage in South Africa had 16 new nucleotide mutations compared to the original sequence.

News for the month of January 2021

During the month of January, attention was primarily directed towards the new SARS-CoV-2 variants (especially the ones that emerged from the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil). We’ve learned that these new variants have been more transmissible compared to the original virus, resulting in greater danger of risk of higher numbers in hospitalizations and deaths. In hopes of expanding the country’s surveillance to detect and characterize emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 Illumina and Helix started a collaboration to augment national surveillance infrastructure, while Quest Diagnostics was granted a CDC contract to sequence COVID-19 gene variants to identify new mutations and patterns of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Other notable developments include announcements that took place during the JP Morgan Healthcare conference, such as the multi-year PacBio-Invitae collaboration to develop a production-scale, high-throughput clinical whole genome sequencing platform leveraging the power of PacBio’s HiFi sequencing technology, as well as Illumina’s launch of Illumina Connected Analytics (ICA), a cloud-based platform for multi-omics data exploration, coupled with machine learning, and tertiary analysis tools which harnesses the DRAGEN Bio-IT Platform (acquired in 2018) and BlueBee technology (acquired in 2020). 

COVID-19 / SARS-CoV-2

• UAB-developed research tool will help scientists better understand COVID-19 PAGER-CoV is a database packed with nearly 12,000 (so far) pieces of genetic information on the SARS-CoV-2 virus
• UK to share genomics expertise to identify COVID-19 variants A New Variant Assessment Platform will open up Britain’s genomics laboratories and offer advice and resources to other countries in need.
• UK chief scientist says new virus variant may be more deadly
• In a major setback, Merck to stop developing its two Covid-19 vaccines and focus on therapies citing inadequate immune responses to the shots. Work will continue on at least one of the vaccines, which is being developed in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), to see if using a different route of administration would improve how effective it is.
• Quest Diagnostics Granted CDC Contract to Sequence COVID-19 Gene Variants to Aid Public Health Response to COVID-19 Large-scale longitudinal genomic survey of the SARS-CoV-2 virus using a random set of samples collected will be performed to understand viral variants and to mobilize an effective response to COVID-19.
• What we now know — and don’t know — about the coronavirus variants It is suggested that the virus variant dubbed B.1.1.7, came from a person who was immunocompromised and had a rare chronic case, essentially providing an incubator for the virus to accrue mutations as it replicated for weeks or months in that person’s body. The virus, the hypothesis goes, then spread from that person to others.
• Illumina and Helix Collaborate to Assess Prevalence of New SARS-CoV-2 UK Variant (B.1.1.7) in the US and Develop National Surveillance Infrastructure

For more in-depth reading, our compiled COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 news page lists selected coronavirus/COVID-19 news.

Funding

• Split Biosciences, now Parse Biosciences, Announces $7M in Series A Funding to Democratize Single-Cell RNA Sequencing
• Dante Labs £30M investment in Cambridge will support global COVID-19 sequencing surveillance program The £30M investment in the UK will be used to run a global surveillance programme of the new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, starting with a hardware and analytical capacity of 50,000 RNA samples per week.
• Sano Genetics, a startup helping with Long COVID research, raises £2.5M in seed funding with a broad mission to support personalised medicine research by increasing participation in clinical trials.
• Devyser receives Eurostars grant to develop novel DNA test for early detection of transplant rejection
• Two Cancer Companies Close Series A Rounds Netting $144 Million
• Elucida Oncology Closes $44 Million Series A-1 Financing
• Delfi Diagnostics Announces $100 Million Series A Financing to Develop a New Class of Early Detection Liquid Biopsy for Multiple Cancers
• NuProbe Closes $42M Fundraising
• Color raises $167 million funding at $1.5 billion valuation to expand ‘last mile’ of US health infrastructure
• Carrum Health Raises $40 Million to Transform Healthcare Delivery and Lower Costs through First-of-Its-Kind Digital Marketplace

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

• Guardant Health and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology Announce Partnership to Establish First Guardant-Based Liquid Biopsy Testing Service in Europe
• Broad Institute and Verily partner with Microsoft to accelerate the next generation of the Terra platform for health and life science research
• UnitedHealth to buy Change Healthcare for nearly $8 billion to boost tech services
• MemorialCare acquires OC Blood & Cancer Care
• Pharmacogenetic and Genealogy Pioneers Merge for Historic Partnership myDNA and Gene by Gene merge
• Insurer Centene to buy Magellan in a $2.2 billion mental health push

Precision Medicine

• Let’s talk about the ‘G’ word CEO of Genomics England, Chris Wigley, tells the importance to talk to as many people as possible about genomics which is why they have started a new podcast. ‘Genomics’ is a word that can trigger really strong responses: hope; fear; anger; other responses.
• Genuity Science and Emory University Announce Research Agreement to further the development of the Genuity Science population clinicogenomic database.
• Janet Woodcock, MD, Appointed Acting FDA Director
• BC Platforms, RIKEN and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) collaborate on artificial intelligence approach to identify people most at risk of from COVID-19

Genomic / Genetic Testing

• OncoDNA announces expansion of its services into the United States
• Ancestry deepens focus on Family History; will discontinue AncestryHealth as per their blog
• Leading Biopharmaceutical Companies Select Invitae to Develop Standardized Panel to Detect Molecular Residual Disease (MRD) in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Tempus Announces Companion Diagnostic Collaboration With A2 Biotherapeutics
• Helix® Laboratory Platform Granted the First and Only FDA Authorization for a Whole Exome Sequencing Platform This marks the first time such a broad, sequencing-based device has been authorized by the FDA.
• Invitae Reports Preliminary 2020 Financial Results of More Than $278 Million in Revenue and More Than 655,000 in Billable Volume

NGS / Genomics Platforms

• Technology could upend DNA sequencing for diagnosing certain DNA mutations New technique combines dPCR with high-speed atomic force microscopy (HSAFM) to create an image with such nanoscale resolution which allow the measurement of differences in the lengths of genes within a DNA sequence. These variations in gene length, known as polymorphisms, can be key to accurately diagnosing many forms of cancer and neurological diseases.
• BIORON and GENAPSYS start cooperation in Germany to offer new DNA-sequencing technology
• Oxford Nanopore’s Gene-Sequencing Is Helping the Global Battle Against Covid. It’s Now Considering an IPO
• Pacific Biosciences and Invitae to Develop Ultra-High-Throughput Clinical Whole Genome Sequencing Platform
• Illumina to Offer New Bioinformatics Solution Which Powers Multi-Omics Discovery at Massive Scale This new and integrated bioinformatics solution Illumina Connected Analytics Software provides a private, cloud-based data platform to manage, analyze, and explore large volumes of multi-omic data in a secure, scalable, and flexible environment.

CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing 

• ‘Incredible’ gene-editing result in mice inspires plans to treat premature-aging syndrome in children
• DARPA Awards $36.7M to Six Organizations for Gene Editing-Based Dx, Biosurveillance Tech
• Mammoth Biosciences and Agilent Partner on High-Throughput CRISPR-Based SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Test

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning

• MIT’s oncological risk AI calculates cancer chances regardless of race It was trained and validated on datasets from the US, Europe and Asia.

Microbiome

• Transnetyx, One Codex Build Strategic Partnership to Provide a Complete Microbiome Analysis Service for Both Mice and Humans

Miscellaneous

• Two ways Fitbit could boost Google’s health ambitions
• Sharon Begley, path-breaking science journalist who spun words into gold, dies at 64
• President-elect Biden Announces Key Members of his White House Science Team includes Dr. Eric Lander as the Presidential Science Advisor-designate and nominee for Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Dr. Francis Collins who will continue in his role as Director of the National Institutes of Health.
• QIAGEN Announces Global Distribution Agreement for the COSMIC Database from the Wellcome Sanger Institute
• Strata Oncology Announces Personalized Recurrence Monitoring Trial Study to Evaluate Strata’s Ability to Detect Tumor Recurrence using Liquid Biopsy and Monitor Treatment Effectiveness for Patients with Early-Stage Solid Tumors
• Haven, the Amazon-Berkshire-JPMorgan venture to disrupt health care, is disbanding after 3 years The move to shutter Haven may be a sign of how difficult it is to radically improve American health care, a complicated and entrenched system of doctors, insurers, drugmakers and middlemen that costs the country $3.5 trillion every year.

Publications

• Genome-wide association analyses of post-traumatic stress disorder and its symptom subdomains in the Million Veteran Program
• Systematic analysis of binding of transcription factors to noncoding variants
• Decoding the multicellular ecosystem of lung adenocarcinoma manifested as pulmonary subsolid nodules by single-cell RNA sequencing
• CRISPR-Cas9-mediated pinpoint microbial genome editing aided by target-mismatched sgRNAs New gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 can now allow the selection of cells with DNA structural alterations at single locations
• Prospective mapping of viral mutations that escape antibodies used to treat COVID-19 A deeper look into the viral mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and the antibodies being made to fight against it. Researchers have “completely mapped mutations that escape three leading anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies” in current vaccines.
• Differences between germline genomes of monozygotic twins
• ‘Incredible’ gene-editing result in mice inspires plans to treat premature-aging syndrome in children In mice with a progeria-causing mutation, a CRISPR cousin corrected the DNA mutation and prevents the heart damage typical of the disease. Treated mice lived about 500 days, more than twice as long as untreated animals.