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Roche, Garvan Institute to Collaborate on Epigenomic Technology

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Roche will collaborate with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney to develop technology for targeted next-gen sequencing-based epigenomic analysis, the company said today.

Under the terms of the two-year discovery agreement, researchers at the Garvan Institute will use Roche NimbleGen's SeqCap Target Enrichment System to develop new methods for accurately analyzing regions of the epigenome.

"This collaboration with the Garvan Institute illustrates the potential of SeqCap Target Enrichment products in additional sequencing applications for epigenetic research," Tom Albert, head of research at Roche Sequencing, said in a statement. "This brings us closer to delivering sequencing applications to the clinic that offer truly differentiated medial value."

John Mattick, executive director of the Garvan Institute, added that the collaboration will "empower more research into human biology and disease, and lead to many translational opportunities."

Although the company said last year that it would close down its 454 Life Sciences sequencing operation by 2016, Roche has recently made a number of investments in the next-gen sequencing space.

In June, it invested in nanopore sequencing startup Stratos Genomics and also acquired nanopore sequencing firm Genia Technologies. In addition, it forged a deal with Pacific Biosciences last year to develop a sequencing system and assays for clinical diagnostics.

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