Diversigen and Norgen Biotek Partner to Offer End-to-end Solutions for Microbiome Sample and Analysis Research

THOROLD, ON, July 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Diversigen Inc. (Houston, TX) and Norgen Biotek Corp. (Ontario, Canada) today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership through which industry and academic researchers will benefit from comprehensive end-to-end logistical, sequencing, and analytical solutions to meet the growing needs for microbiome analyses.

Together, the two companies will provide a combined offering from sample collection, ambient temperature stabilization for transport and logistics for all types of microbiome samples and formats, as well as the purification of high quality, inhibitor-free nucleic acids from these samples, to Next-Generation sequencing library preparation kits, and state-of-the-art bioinformatics and analysis capabilities for preclinical and clinical specimens. These products and services will target both DNA sequencing and analysis as well as RNAseq for both microbial communities (bacterial, fungal, viral) and the host RNA and metatranscriptomics.  This strategic partnership aims to offer industry and academic microbiome researchers the most comprehensive, end-to-end logistical and analytical solutions available.

"We at Norgen Biotek, a leader in nucleic acid stabilization and purification, are excited to work with Diversigen Inc., the leading microbiome company with tremendous and demonstrated competencies in metagenomics.  This partnership is built on complementation and mutual benefit," said Dr. Haj-Ahmad, President & CEO of Norgen Biotek Corp.

"We are pleased to be working with Norgen Biotek, the leader in its field.  The partnership extends Diversigen's capabilities into sample handling and stabilization. We are committed to providing the highest quality Microbiome information and we know that begins with optimized sample collection and handling. Further, the Norgen offerings complement Diversigen's robust sequencing and data analytic pipelines," said Dr. Caroline Popper, CEO of Diversigen, Inc.

"The ability to seamlessly engage large cohorts with optimized standard practices is fundamentally critical for discovery in translational microbiome research. Furthermore, synergistic expansion of capabilities into additional analytes and microbial niches will provide an even more robust ability to profile the role of the complete microbiome in health and disease and serve our customers," said Dr. Joseph Petrosino, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Diversigen, Inc.

About Norgen Biotek Corp.
Norgen Biotek Corp., an ISO 15189:2007, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 registered company, is a privately-held Canadian biotech company committed to providing innovative products and services to the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Norgen is applying its proprietary technologies to develop best-in-class products for the purification of NA and proteins, as well as NGS. Norgen is also a leader in sample collection and stabilization, with kits that allow for the long-term preservation of DNA, RNA and proteins at room temperature and shipping at ambient conditions for saliva, urine, blood and stool samples. Currently, Norgen is focused on automations and the development of NA purification kits for application in resources limited areas, point-of-care and home use. Detailed information about the company is available at www.norgenbiotek.com or contact Dr. Yousef Haj-Ahmad, President & CEO, Norgen Biotek. Phone: (905) 227-8848, Fax: (905) 227-1061, Email: [email protected].

About Diversigen Inc.
Diversigen, Inc. is a Baylor College of Medicine portfolio company. The company provides consultative end-to-end solutions for sequencing, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis for the study of the microbiome of living organisms and environments. Diversigen, Inc. operates a state-of-the-art CLIA/CAP accredited laboratory deploying a variety of techniques to extract high quality nucleic acids from a multitude of sample types for subsequent metagenomics analysis. Diversigen's flexible sequencing and computing capacity, combined with ongoing improvements in analytic tools and their applications, allows for customized project-specific strategies.
For more information, visit www.diversigen.com or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Norgen Biotek Corp.