Fluidigm and Genomenon to Offer Evidence-Based Genomic Panel Design Service

Joint offering enables acceleration of genomic panel design for translational and clinical disease research


SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluidigm Corporation announced today that it has entered into a co-marketing agreement with Genomenon to offer evidence-based genomic panel design services for translational and clinical disease research.

The rapidly expanding knowledge base of genes and variants associated with human diseases is essential to delivering on the promise of precision medicine. However, harnessing the most up-to-date genetic and genomic information for the development of assays to answer critical research questions in health and disease is an ongoing challenge. The Genomenon® Mastermind® Panel Design Service is designed to meet this challenge by identifying disease-specific biomarkers for researchers using its proprietary Mastermind genomic search database and automated machine learning algorithms. The Genomenon team then curates the biomarkers based on the strength and quality of the scientific evidence found in the literature and delivers a set of prioritized candidates to researchers to aid in panel design.

Through the Fluidigm-Genomenon joint panel design services offering, researchers will be able to accelerate the design of disease-specific next-generation sequencing (NGS), genotyping, and real-time PCR panels for use with highly efficient Fluidigm® automated microfluidic systems. Significantly shortening the most time-consuming part of this process, manual target selection, Genomenon’s Panel Design Service can reduce the time of target identification from up to one year to just a few weeks. When combined with proven Fluidigm D3™ design services for panel assay design, researchers can more efficiently develop scientifically robust genomic panels to meet the dynamic demands of translational and clinical disease research. 

“Starting with any target set of diseases, Fluidigm and Genomenon together can provide an expert-level gene panel in record time,” said Mike Klein, CEO of Genomenon. “We’ve proven the model with a number of NGS panels in collaboration with Fluidigm and are excited to open this up to custom designs for Fluidigm customers.”

“We are very excited to announce our relationship with Genomenon to accelerate the design of high-value disease-specific panels both for our customers and in our own internal assay design pipeline,” said Chris Linthwaite, President and CEO of Fluidigm. “This valuable addition to our custom genomic panel design offering represents an important building block in expanding the benefits of microfluidics technology to a wider range of disease research areas.”

About Genomenon                                                                       
Genomenon connects patient genomic data with evidence from the scientific literature to diagnose and deliver better patient outcomes. Its web-based Mastermind Genomic Search Engine has indexed the scientific evidence from millions of medical articles, cataloguing the genetic relationships between DNA and human diseases, including cancer.

Genomenon’s biomarker selection algorithms use data from its Mastermind Genomic Database to find relevant gene- and variant-specific therapeutic, prognostic, and diagnostic information in the literature, accompanied by literature citations for each association. This data empowers customers to make fully informed, evidence-based decisions on which targets to include in their final NGS panel in significantly less time than other methods.

For more information, visit www.genomenon.com.

About Fluidigm
Fluidigm (NASDAQ:FLDM) develops, manufactures, and markets life science analytical and preparatory systems for markets such as mass cytometry, high-throughput genomics, and single‑cell genomics. We sell to leading academic institutions, clinical research laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and agricultural biotechnology companies worldwide. Our systems are based on proprietary microfluidics and multiparameter mass cytometry technology and are designed to significantly simplify experimental workflow, increase throughput, and reduce costs while providing excellent data quality. Fluidigm products are provided for Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

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Fluidigm, the Fluidigm logo, and D3 are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Fluidigm Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statement for Fluidigm
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others, statements regarding the anticipated benefits of products and services and a joint marketing agreement. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from currently anticipated results, including but not limited to risks relating to uncertainties in contractual relationships; challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, launching, marketing, and selling new products; potential product performance and quality issues; intellectual property risks; and competition. Information on these and additional risks and uncertainties and other information affecting Fluidigm business and operating results is contained in Fluidigm’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and in its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Fluidigm Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Fluidigm disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.


Contacts:

Genomenon
Jessica Francis
Public Relations
Genomenon
440 840 4987
jessicafrancisPR@gmail.com

Fluidigm
Media: 
Michaeline Bunting
Senior Director, Marketing
650 737 4190
michaeline.bunting@fluidigm.com

Investors:
Agnes Lee
Vice President, Investor Relations
650 416 7423
agnes.lee@fluidigm.com