Roche acquired Bina Technologies which provides a big data platform for centralized management and processing of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data for the academic and translational research markets. Bina will be integrated into the Roche Sequencing Unit, and will continue to focus on development of their innovative genomic analysis solution, according to Roche officials.

“Roche's acquisition of Bina is a great validation of our work and technology. It is also an indication of how informatics and data science are going to play a major role in the future of medicine,” said Narges Bani Asadi, founder and CEO of Bina.

The company’s genomic management solution, the Bina-GMS, is expected to dramatically improve the speed and cost of genomic analyses, noted Bani-Asadi. Bina recently announced selection of their platform by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide whole genome, whole exome, and SNP Chip DNA data analysis as part of the VA's Million Veteran Program (MVP), which aims to enroll one million veterans. The acquisition by Roche will enable Bina to further expand support to similar big-data population studies, as well as grow their offering for global enterprise and clinical research customers.

“The acquisition of Bina is a significant step for Roche to enable the promise of personalized healthcare by delivering the highest quality genomic data possible,” said Dan Zabrowski, head of Roche Sequencing. “Informatics and data management are critical to providing a seamless, end-to-end sequencing solution. Bina's products are designed to improve the efficiency and value of genomic analysis, and the company continues to develop new methodologies and algorithms that link NGS data to disease-relevant genetic markers.”

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