NEW YORK – Inocras said late Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tokyo-based Summit Pharmaceuticals to integrate whole-genome sequencing (WGS) into Japan's healthcare system.
The partnership, financial details of which were not provided, includes assessing market potential, developing operational models, and evaluating clinical impact. Future plans include establishing a WGS lab to enhance local bioinformatics capabilities, for which the companies plan to seek input from key opinion leaders and other stakeholders.
San Diego-based Inocras, formerly Genome Insight, recently launched two diagnostic WGS tests: CancerVision for solid tumors and RareVision for rare diseases. The company developed CancerVision in collaboration with Watchmaker Genomics using that firm's DNA library prep kits with fragmentation.
Inocras has also forged several other partnerships over the course of the year, including with IMBdx, Massive Bio, and the Broad Institute.
"Japan is at a pivotal point in embracing genomic medicine, and this partnership with Inocras is perfectly timed to help accelerate that transformation," Summit Pharmaceuticals CEO Katsuya Okuyama said in a statement.