Standard BioTools and Next Gen Diagnostics Announce Partnership to Provide Complete Automation of Low-Cost Pathogen Sequencing

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard BioTools Inc. (Nasdaq:LAB), driven by a bold purpose – Unleashing tools to accelerate breakthroughs in human health – and Next Gen Diagnostics announce the execution of a long-term agreement aimed at revolutionizing the automation of sample preparation for pathogen whole genome sequencing. Under the exclusive agreement, Standard BioTools will manufacture the NGD-100, a version of its microfluidics-based Biomark X9 System customized for NGD and optimized for automated pathogen WGS library preparation.

“With the cost of bacterial sequencing now under $10/sample, the cost of sample preparation and bioinformatic analysis of the results have become the last remaining practical bottlenecks preventing the widespread use of pathogen WGS,” noted Paul A. Rhodes, Ph.D., NGD’s founder and CEO. “We have addressed them both by combining Standard BioTools’ best-in-class microfluidic liquid handling system with NGD’s state-of-the-art automated pathogen bioinformatics, enabling NGD to offer integrated pathogen sequencing and bioinformatic services with the rapid turnaround and low cost required for large scale impact on infection control and ultimately on clinical microbiology.”

Used by researchers around the world, Standard BioTools proprietary microfluidics technology offers highly scalable and automated workflows for quantitative PCR and NGS library preparation. These systems will enable the cost efficiencies, flexibility and proven analytical performance that laboratories need to meet the increasing demands of pathogen testing.

“Standard BioTools’ microfluidics technology represents over 20 years of continuous refinement,” commented Michael Egholm, President and CEO of Standard BioTools. “Our systems have been proven in mission-critical commercial applications, such as those of Olink, and our track record of high-volume fulfillment ensures the systems and reagents we provide NGD will deliver reliable and high-quality results. As our second major OEM agreement, this partnership with NGD in the field of pathogen sample preparation reflects the advancement of our growth strategy, bringing domain focus and expertise that will broaden the impact of our microfluidic platform across vital sectors of life science.”