Phase Genomics, Inc., a global provider of industry-leading genomic solutions, has been awarded the “Metagenomics Innovation Of The Year” distinction for 2023 in the third annual BioTech Breakthrough Awards program.
“The rapid, scalable, resource-efficient metagenomics solution from Phase Genomics unlocks immense improvements across the fields of global, public and environmental health. We’re thrilled to recognize them with the ‘Metagenomics Innovation of the Year’ award,” said Bryan Vaughn, managing director of BioTech Breakthrough. “Phase Genomics’ solutions are driving breakthroughs across fields of study every day at hundreds of top-tier research organizations and biopharmaceutical firms throughout the world, including emergent commercial applications in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, crop sciences and public health.”
BioTech Breakthrough is the leading independent market intelligence organization that evaluates and recognizes standout life sciences and biotechnology companies, products and services around the globe. It selected Phase Genomics for its proximity ligation sequencing-based metagenomics approach that empowers microbiologists with new depths of insight into the genomics driving the behavior and evolution of microbial communities. This year’s program attracted more than 1,500 nominations from over 12 different countries.
In 2022, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and NIAID, Phase Genomics set out to assemble the world’s most comprehensive atlas of phage-bacteria interactions, discover looming antimicrobial resistance (AMR) biothreats, and identify potential phage-based solutions using the company’s leading-edge metagenomics technology. Phages, the viruses that infect bacteria, offer a promising avenue toward overcoming the looming AMR public health crisis. Our limited understanding of virus-microbe interaction and bacterial host range is one of the biggest barriers to advancing phage-based alternatives to increasingly ineffective antibiotics.
Phase Genomics’ rapidly growing atlas of high-quality phage-bacteria interactions is now among the world’s largest, numbering more than 100,000 relationships, often with strain-level specificity. The underlying metagenomics technology captures phage-bacteria relationships at massive scale directly within microbial communities as they occur in nature, rather than through time and labor-intensive culturing. The data will form the backbone of an AI-powered global biodefense shield for AMR pandemic prevention and phage-based therapeutic discovery.
“It is an honor to be recognized as leaders at the forefront of metagenomics innovation by BioTech Breakthrough. We set out to address, head on, one of the largest blind spots in biology by cataloging the diversity of viruses that infect bacteria in samples from across all seven continents, from clinics and wastewater, to agriculture, and even deep-sea hydrothermal vents,” said Ivan Liachko, PhD, Phase Genomics founder and CEO. “The broader impact and commercial potential of proximity ligation-based technologies encompasses nearly limitless opportunities in global and environmental health. At Phase Genomics, we’re continuously developing new genomic methods to drive discovery across research, industry and in the clinic.”
Next week, Liachko will present a spotlight seminar at the Microbiome Data Congress in Boston on the analysis and interpretation of non-bacterial microbiome data, titled “Building the World’s Largest Phage-Host Interaction Atlas using Proximity Ligation Technology,” at 3:30pm EST on Tuesday, November 14.
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About Phase Genomics
Phase Genomics applies proprietary proximity ligation technology to enable chromosome-scale genome assembly, microbiome discovery, as well as analysis of genomic variation and genome architecture. In addition to a comprehensive portfolio of laboratory and computational services and products, including Hi-C kits for plants, animals, microbes, and human samples, they also offer an industry-leading genome and metagenome assembly and analysis software.
Based in Seattle, WA, the company was founded in 2015 by a team of genome scientists, software engineers, and entrepreneurs. The company’s mission is to empower scientists with genomic tools that accelerate breakthrough discoveries.
About BioTech Breakthrough
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the BioTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in life science and biotechnology solutions, services and companies. The BioTech Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of biotechnology companies and products in categories including BioPharma, Genomics, Therapeutics, Food Science and BioAgriculture, and more. For more information visit BioTechBreakthroughawards.com.
Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
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