NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – UK-based biotech company Sengenics and human genome interpretation firm Diploid of Belgium are collaborating to provide clinical exome and genome sequencing services for inherited disease diagnosis in the Middle East and in member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the companies said today.
"This integrated solution will be mutually advantageous in assisting both companies to work alongside doctors to enhance management of debilitating genetic disorders in the region," said Diploid CEO Peter Schols in a statement.
The two companies, which have already worked together on more than a thousand cases, are launching new clinical exome sequencing services, called Exomax, that offer enhanced coverage and fast turnaround options and that the firms claim are less expensive than similar services from accredited competitors. Exomax-Plus provides nearly twice as much coverage as standard exome capture methods and includes additional exons, genes, and untranslated regions. Their Exomax-Rapid service has a short turnaround time of 20 business days, they said.
Starting in 2016, the services will include a free user license for referring physicians to GalaxC, a proprietary Sengenics allele frequency database with more than 6.5 million pathogenic mutations and variants from Asian and Middle Eastern populations. The companies will also collaborate to widen usage of GalaxC in the region. Currently, GalaxC can be accessed free of charge by existing customers.