Bionano Announces Publication Showing OGM’s High Resolution Structural Variation Detection in Cancer Validated by Cas9-Directed Nanopore Sequencing

SAN DIEGO, April 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bionano Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNGO), today announced the results of an implementation study conducted by researchers at University Medical Center Groningen that compared optical genome mapping (OGM) to traditional cytogenetic methods for the detection of structural variants (SVs) in bone marrow aspirate (BMA) samples. OGM has been shown to regularly detect SVs missed by other methods, as a result of the higher resolution and sensitivity of OGM. Some of OGM’s novel findings, however, are difficult for other methods to validate, because of their resolution limitations. In this paper, researchers used OGM to detect variants in the BMA samples that were missed by traditional methods, and then applied targeted Cas9-directed Nanopore sequencing to validate the variants detected with OGM and define the breakpoints at the base pair level. The study results highlight OGM’s ability to provide researchers with a more comprehensive understanding of leukemia subtypes and the potential of targeted Cas9-directed Nanopore sequencing to validate new findings efficiently and at high resolution, compared to other genome analysis methods, including short read or other long read sequencing methods.

“We were pleased to see researchers conclude that the findings detected by OGM in leukemia samples were robust and superior to classical cytogenetic methods. When these findings are validated with Cas9-directed Nanopore sequencing, we believe the result is a powerful whole genome analysis tool that has the potential to identify pathogenically relevant SVs and further our understanding of molecular subtypes in blood cancer,” commented Erik Holmlin, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Bionano.

The publication can be viewed here.

About Bionano

Bionano is a provider of genome analysis solutions that can enable researchers and clinicians to reveal answers to challenging questions in biology and medicine. The Company’s mission is to transform the way the world sees the genome through OGM solutions, diagnostic services and software. The Company offers OGM solutions for applications across basic, translational and clinical research, and nucleic acid extraction and purification solutions using proprietary isotachophoresis (ITP) technology. Through its Lineagen, Inc. d/b/a Bionano Laboratories business, the Company also provides OGM-based testing for certain laboratory developed tests. The Company also offers an industry-leading, platform-agnostic software solution, which integrates next-generation sequencing and microarray data designed to provide analysis, visualization, interpretation and reporting of copy number variants, single-nucleotide variants and absence of heterozygosity across the genome in one consolidated view. For more information, visit www.bionano.com and www.bionanolaboratories.com.