-- Featured Research to Describe First Demonstration of De Novo Assembly of the Human Genome Using Irys System

SAN DIEGO and PARIS, June 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BioNano Genomics announced today the availability in the European Union of the Irys™ System for genome mapping.  In conjunction with the European Human Genetics Conference 2013 being held in Paris from June 8 to 11, BioNano and collaborator Pui-Yan Kwok, M.D., Ph.D., Henry Bachrach Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), will present the first demonstration of a de novo map of the human genome using the Irys System and the utility of this map in the analysis of structural variation and genome finishing.

"We are excited to expand the global market for Irys, so cutting edge labs in Europe and beyond can access the power of long-read technologies to drive genomic discoveries," said Erik Holmlin, Ph.D., president and CEO of BioNano Genomics. "De novo physical maps are proving to be crucial for fully characterizing genomes. We are thrilled to demonstrate today that the Irys platform can scale to larger, more complex genomes, such as human. This achievement paves the way for the launch of human genome capabilities, which will include a new high-throughput IrysChip, to be announced in the second half of this year."

Dr. Holmlin continued, "With the Irys System's nanochannel array technology, we are able to deliver the long-range genomic information genomics researchers and clinicians need for the accurate detection of genomic structural variation and to finish genome assemblies. Irys has significant applications throughout human genomics and epigenomics and will be especially useful in biomedical disease research and to ultimately empower diagnostics."

BioNano Genomics will be at Booth 692 at the European Human Genetics Conference 2013 presented by the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG). In addition, Dr. Kwok, will be giving a podium presentation at the conference. 

Details of the presentation are as follows:

About Irys

Irys makes it possible to routinely and accurately detect genomic structural variation and to finish genome assemblies. The fully automated Irys benchtop instrument uses the IrysChip to uncoil and confine long DNA molecules in proprietary Nanochannel Arrays™ where they are uniformly linearized in a highly parallel display for high-resolution, single-molecule imaging. Irys does not employ DNA fragmentation or amplification, which are typical with next-generation sequencing. The result is sequence information over extremely long "reads" ranging from hundreds of kilobases to a megabase, where the sample's valuable structural information is preserved. Irys makes it possible for researchers to directly observe structural variants including replications, deletions, translocations and inversions.

About BioNano Genomics

Headquartered in San Diego, BioNano Genomics is delivering an altogether better way of gaining a fully informed understanding of genomes. The Company's platform provides researchers and clinicians the most comprehensive, organized and actionable picture of a genome with unprecedented insights into how the individual components of genomes are ordered, arranged, and interact with each other. BioNano Genomics works with institutions in life science, translational research, molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine. The Company is supported by private investors and grant funding from genomics programs at federal agencies, including the NIH and NIST-ATP.

www.BioNanoGenomics.com 

Notes: BioNano Genomics is a trademark of BioNano Genomics, Inc. Any other names of actual companies, organizations, entities, products or services may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE BioNano Genomics