Knome Makes Genomic Interpretation Accessible to Startups by Sponsoring LabCentral

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – September 9, 2014 – Knome, Inc. today announced that it has entered a sponsorship agreement with LabCentral to provide the knoSYS^® Informatics and Genomic Interpretation System to startups operating in LabCentral’s facility in Kendall Square.

LabCentral was founded in November 2013 as a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. It currently hosts 25 companies and expects to be at capacity this fall.

“Next-generation sequencing data analysis and interpretation has traditionally been a complicated, expert-driven process that only large institutions could tackle,” stated Dr. Wolfgang Daum, president and CEO of Knome. “The knoSYS was specifically created to make NGS accessible – that is, easy to learn, easy to understand, and easy to run, thus eliminating the barriers to small-lab adoption. Through this collaboration with LabCentral, we are thrilled to drive this vision further by offering knoSYS capabilities free-of-charge to startups ready for NGS interpretation.”

The knoSYS is designed for clinical and translational medicine applications, offering a scalable, production-grade, customizable system for organizations seeking to bring the analysis of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data in-house. It is a fully integrated system for alignment, variant calling, annotation, multi-sample comparison, interpretation, variant classification, report content drafting, and storage of human genome sequence data. Version 3 of the knoSYS platform was announced in August.

The knoSYS is available in multiple configurations including a hosted or on-site hardware and software bundle. LabCentral startups will be able to log into a knoSYS system that is located at Knome’s secure facility in Cambridge and upload their samples, analyze them, and export results. They will also have access to Knome’s team of experts for training and support.

“LabCentral’s mission is to provide world-class facilities and support to startups in the biotech and life-sciences industry,” said Dr. Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president of LabCentral. “Through key industry partnerships, these startups have access to tools that increase their chances of success dramatically. We welcome Knome to our growing list of industry sponsors and look forward to seeing the results our residents can achieve using the knoSYS system for NGS analysis and interpretation.”

About Knome (www.knome.com; twitter @knome)
Knome, Inc. is a leading provider of human genome interpretation systems and services. Knome provides tools and solutions that help researchers, drug developers, and clinicians determine the genetic basis of human disease and drug response. Designed to accelerate and industrialize the process of interpreting whole genomes, Knome’s big data technologies are helping to smooth the healthcare industry’s transition to molecular-based, precision medicine.

About LabCentral (www.labcentral.org; twitter @labcentral)
A 28,000 square-foot facility in the heart of the Kendall Square, Cambridge, biotech innovation hub, LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. It offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 25 startups comprising approximately 100 scientists and entrepreneurs. LabCentral provides first-class facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel, a domain-relevant expert speaker series – as well as the other critical services and support that early-stage companies need to begin laboratory operations on day one. A private, nonprofit institution, LabCentral was funded in part by a $5 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, with support from its real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Triumvirate Environmental and Johnson & Johnson Innovation.