Omixon & PIRCHE® collaborate on Epitope Determination with NGS

BERLIN and BUDAPEST, Hungary, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Global molecular diagnostics company Omixon, headquartered in Budapest, and technology company PIRCHE AG, headquartered in Berlin announce a collaboration to deliver the first integrated epitope determination and matching service that leverages whole gene consensus sequences assembled from NGS data of the HLA region. For the first time, fully characterized HLA sequences and their corresponding 4-field HLA typings can be matched seamlessly using epitope information for better allocation of available organs. Improved matching between donor and recipient results not only in lower immune response and therefore longer graft survival, but reducing sensitization also simplifies allocation of subsequent transplantations.

PIRCHE epitope prediction is cutting edge technology developed in 2014 at the UMC Utrecht and further improved by PIRCHE AG for determining the risk of immune responses in transplantation - studies show applications for both Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Solid Organ Transplantation. PIRCHE has implemented the first HLA epitope matching algorithm that takes into account the indirect pathway of allo-recognition by identifying possible T cell epitopes introduced by mismatched HLA. The user-friendly web service allows to quickly analyze transplant patients on a regular basis. "We are thrilled to be able to offer our PIRCHE web application via Omixon's HLA Twin software. We are happy and satisfied to be able to serve patients in need even better in this way.", Thomas Klein, CEO at PIRCHE AG.

Omixon will integrate the PIRCHE epitope prediction and matching service from within HLA Twin - the world's leading NGS analysis software for HLA that uses two algorithms to reliably determine whole gene consensus sequences from targeted HLA data generated from Holotype HLA. "Omixon is delighted to enter a partnership with PIRCHE to enable our users with groundbreaking epitope prediction and matching algorithms. Improving patient outcomes is one of the core values at Omixon, and we see that epitope prediction and matching will play a key role in the transplantation community for both bone marrow and solid organs" says Dr. Peter Meintjes, CEO at Omixon.

Omixon and PIRCHE will commence collaboration immediately and expect to deliver a prototype version for demonstration to the HLA community at ASHI 2018 in Baltimore at their Lunch Symposium on October 4th. Following ASHI 2018, Omixon and PIRCHE expect to make a collaboration version available to interested researchers in early Q4 (register your interest by emailing [email protected]) and a public release synchronized with a future update to HLA Twin prior to the end of 2018.

"The explosion of new HLA alleles over the last 15 years makes it increasingly difficult to match donors with recipients. Since histocompatibility is fundamentally related to the HLA protein and epitope structure, it has been known that matching for HLA genotypes rules out some biologically compatible transplants. PIRCHE is a leader in matching donors and patients on the basis of fundamental structural biology and the algorithm is supported by clinical evidence. I am delighted to see this collaboration between PIRCHE and Omixon going forward" says Attila Berces, Founder and Chairman at Omixon.

About Omixon
Omixon is a global molecular diagnostics company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, with US offices in Cambridge, MA that commercializes disruptive technologies for clinical and research laboratories. Omixon's flagship product, Holotype HLA, is the world's leading NGS-based HLA genotyping product that delivers the most accurate high-resolution HLA genotyping available, and is used in more than 45 hospitals worldwide. Omixon's research software, HLA Explore analyzes data from any sequencing technology and determines HLA genotypes from Whole Exome/Genome Sequencing experiments. Omixon maintains an active grant-funded research program with a product pipeline focused on pre- and post-transplantation, and HLA genotyping applications beyond transplantation. For more information, visit http://www.omixon.com

About PIRCHE
PIRCHE AG is the first company to provide reliable HLA epitope matching technology and combines it with an ergonomic user interface to a web based matching system - the PIRCHE web app. This system is available 24/7, from any computer with internet access. There is no need to install or maintain any software locally and the web app meets all required standards for data security. The technology is validated in several scientific studies with thousands of patients and is already used by multiple leading clinics and labs in everyday practice. For more information, visit http://www.pirche.com

SOURCE Omixon Biocomputing