NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Novogene, a Beijing-based sequencing service provider, and molecular diagnostic company AITbiotech plan to establish a joint genomics venture in Singapore, the companies said today.
The facility, NovogeneAIT Genomics Singapore, will include next-generation sequencing capabilities on the Illumina HiSeq X Ten and will provide NGS and research services to the Association of Southeast Asia Nation and Southeast Asia region. In addition, researchers there will collaborate with other institutions in Singapore, including a whole-genome sequencing project with an unnamed research entity in Singapore.
"Our joint venture with AITbiotech represents a key milestone in Novogene’s strategy to become a truly global high-throughput next-generation sequencing services provider," Novogene CEO Ruiqiang Li said in a statement.
He added that the new facility will be Novogene's third NGS center, adding to ones it has established in China and the US. Novogene will invest in research and development of next-generation genetic testing products and services, especially in oncology at the new center.
"AITbiotech sees this joint venture as a model of collaboration between a global company and a smaller local enterprise to jointly penetrate the large, complex ASEAN and South Asian scientific services and diagnostics markets," Alex Thian, AITbiotech CEO, said in a statement.