New England Biolabs® and Bluebee Partner to Deliver an End-to-end Data Analysis Solution for NEBNext Direct® Target Enrichment

RIJSWIJK, Netherlands and IPSWICH, Mass, February 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Bluebee, a company driving global genomic data-driven medicine, and New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB^®) have partnered to provide a secure and convenient data processing solution for NEB's NEBNext Direct target enrichment technology. Through this partnership, Bluebee enables NEB's NEBNext Direct customers the ability to rapidly analyze, store and manage large amounts of sequencing data using an analysis pipeline that is tailored to the unique features of the approach. 

NEBNext Direct employs a unique hybridization-based enrichment workflow that hybridizes baits directly to genomic DNA, without the need for upfront library preparation. Incorporation of a unique molecule index, or UMI, allows for improved accuracy in predicting variant allele frequencies, by enabling marking of duplicate molecules, as well as consensus variant calling for the removal of false positive errors.

The Bluebee platform is designed for team-based genomic research and for the collaborative exchange of analysed genomics data with both internal and external customers, while strictly adhering to local data residency demands.

Hans Cobben, Chief Executive Officer of Bluebee said: 

"Through our partnership with NEB, Bluebee are providing a solution that enables the generation and analysis of actionable data that can be used to speed the journey towards more insightful treatments for cancer."

"The Bluebee solution allows scientists to analyze NEBNext Direct data using a pipeline specifically optimized to maximize the benefits of the target enrichment technology," stated Andrew Barry, Product Marketing Manager at NEB, "having the ability to execute complex analytical procedures through a simple user interface ensures our customers reliable and accurate data, providing them more time to analyze and interpret results."

NEB^® and NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS^® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc.

About Bluebee 

Bluebee offers a secure global bio-informatics platform to process, analyze, share and store genomics data. Through a private cloud service, Bluebee supports users in clinical diagnostics, therapeutics and research with advanced analytics for genomic data driven medicine that will fuel the future of genomic discovery. Designed for cross-functional teams of clinicians and life science researchers the Bluebee platform effectively centralizes and manages genomics data processes and storage. Bluebee's multi-layered security is designed to meet both specific organizational and regulatory data protection requirements when analyzing and storing research or clinical grade data. Local data processing is guaranteed via "Data Residency Control" in state-of-the-art data centers. The service is available across all major European countries and US cities, as well as in Canada and Asia Pacific.

Find out more about Bluebee at www.bluebee.com.

About New England Biolabs

Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB) is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR and qPCR, gene expression, sample preparation for next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, glycobiology, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors, including molecular diagnostics development. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA, and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and seven subsidiaries located in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com.