NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Genomics software maker SmartGene said today that it has expanded a collaboration with the Institute of Medical Microbiology (IMM) at the University of Zurich under which IMM will use the SmartGene platform and its reference databases.
IMM will use these tools to validate and provide ongoing back-up for mass spectrometry analysis, for the identification of infectious pathogens in diagnostic routine procedures, the partners said. The institute already had been using SmartGene's technology and web-based services as part of sequencing efforts to analyze and identify bacterial, fungal, and mycobacterial pathogens.
"SmartGene already facilitates the efficient and accurate identification of pathogens by sequencing; this expanded collaboration with IMM is another step towards our goal of ultimately providing solutions, which address pathogenicity, drug resistance, and host susceptibility for best management of challenging infections," SmartGene CEO Stefan Elmer said in a statement.
IMM Director and Chairman Erik Boettger said that the institute plans to "evaluate how mass spec technologies and sequence-based identifications can work together in our laboratory for best accuracy and efficiency in supporting patient care."
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.