Largest Hospital Diagnostic Lab in Canada Pilots Bionano’s Saphyr; Seeking to Convert 30-Year-Old Workflow Based on Multiple Technologies Into a Single, High-Resolution Assay to Transform Cancer Diagnosis
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bionano Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNGO), announced today that its Saphyr system is being piloted by the University Health Network's (UHN) Laboratory
Medicine Program (LMP) in Toronto. The LMP is the largest hospital diagnostic laboratory in Canada and one of the largest in the world, performing 25 million tests per year and serving 1,300
patients per day. UHN’s Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory led by Dr. Adam Smith plans to use the Bionano Saphyr system to test its ability to streamline cancer diagnostic techniques,
improve detection of abnormalities and reduce complexity and costs.
Dr. Adam Smith commented: “The hope is to leverage the unique power of optical genome mapping (OGM) by developing new Saphyr-based assays intended to resolve diagnostic questions that are challenging with existing standard of care tools. Cytogenetics, and specifically G-banded karyotyping, is a core technique for looking at chromosomal changes in cancer patients and has been a core technique of cytogenetics laboratories for over 30 years. Karyotyping has provided a cost-effective means to assess chromosomal changes at the genome level, but it is labor intensive and has limited resolution to identify specific rearrangements. While other techniques such as Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) have supplemented karyotyping, FISH is a targeted assay requiring continued validations and workloads for new and emerging cancer biomarkers. New technologies, such as OGM, may represent a better alternative and increase the precision of detecting chromosomal changes in cancer. This could lead to the clinical reality of a single assay, high-resolution analysis across the entire genome."
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Erik Holmlin, PhD, CEO of Bionano Genomics commented: “It is gratifying to see increasing adoption of Saphyr as the evidence continues to mount showing how Saphyr can consolidate multiple antiquated techniques into a single, streamlined approach for cytogenomic analysis. This pilot by Canada’s largest hospital diagnostic laboratory is a significant milestone for us as we seek to make OGM with Saphyr a cornerstone of efforts to improve cancer diagnosis and discover new medicines. We thank Dr. Smith and his colleagues for their commitment to us and we are impressed by their innovative drive.”