PHC Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Kyoji Morimoto, hereafter PHC) has today announced the launch of the DNBSEQ^TM Series of the next-generation DNA sequencers (product models: DNBSEQ-T7, DNBSEQ-G400, DNBSEQ-G50)^*1. This follows the signing of an agreement with MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Shenzhen, China, President: Mu Feng, hereafter MGI) for the sales rights in Japan for their portfolio of DNA sequencers, as well as their range of sample pre-processing equipment and related reagents/consumables. These products are available in Japan to support genetic information analysis for researchers and healthcare professionals.

Japan has recently been pursuing a national initiative to accelerate the use of genomic medicine for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, in the field of cancer medicine, treatments are being tailored to each individual patient’s characteristics and medical condition based on the results of genetic data analysis. As a result, there is increased need for tools that use cutting-edge genome analysis technologies that leverage next-generation sequencers, such as cancer gene panel tests^*2. Also required are solutions that allow highly accurate data analysis of extracted genetic information in an efficient and economical manner.

The newly launched DNBSEQ^TM Series is a range of next-generation sequencers that have the ability to read a large amount of DNA and RNA sequences to accurately detect gene mutations and expression levels. This series employs MGI’s proprietary DNBSEQ^TM technology^*3 that utilizes DNB (DNA nanoball) technology^*4 to stably amplify DNA, enabling genetic analysis with greater sequencing accuracy and superior cost performance. The series includes various models that are designed to meet a wide range of research and clinical application needs, from DNBSEQ-T7, a high-end model with data processing capacity of 6TB that is equivalent to the human genome^*5 of 60 people per day, to DNBSEQ-G50, a compact benchtop model.

In collaboration with Amelieff Corporation, a member of the PHC Group with revolutionary bioinformatics technology, PHC will be offering a comprehensive solution that can improve genome research efficiency by answering the needs for data analysis ranging from microorganisms to the human genome. These include a package that offers an analysis system and a gold-standard^*6 analysis pipeline optimized for the DNBSEQ^TM Series, as well as practical training for staff and a more sophisticated analysis tool that can carry out highly complex analytical calculations.