OpGen Group Company Ares Genetics Presents R&D Pipeline Updates
June 28 2021 - 7:30AM
OpGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPGN, “OpGen”), a precision medicine company
harnessing the power of molecular diagnostics and informatics to
help combat infectious disease, today announced that its subsidiary
Ares Genetics, which strives to become a leader in bacterial
genomics and AI-powered prediction of antimicrobial resistance
(AMR), presented an update on the company’s R&D pipeline during
two virtual seminars held on May 22 and on May 24, 2021. After
having recently announced the development of a target
enrichment-based, culture free genomic assay for the comprehensive
surveillance of AMR pathogens, Dr. Arne Materna, CEO of Ares
Genetics, now presented preliminary data of an ongoing multicenter
validation of long-read nanopore sequencing of clinical isolates.
With the economic burden of AMR and more
importantly the associated fatalities projected to increase
globally, the WHO and national public health organizations continue
to emphasize the importance of improving antibiotic stewardship
through use of technologies and interventions that promote the
optimal use of effective antibiotics and avoid the overuse of
antibiotics. Sequencing based technologies for AMR surveillance
play an important role in informing the choice of appropriate
first-line antibiotic treatment options. During the virtual
seminars, Dr. Materna pointed out the importance of extending
surveillance efforts especially into low- to mid- income countries
where there is potential for becoming host to AMR outbreaks. In
order to democratize genomic outbreak surveillance, new sequencing
technologies are required that can meet the criteria for lower
cost, lower workflow complexity and faster turnaround times to
facilitate such technology adoption in these low- to mid- income
countries.
Ares Genetics is currently offering its
expertise in isolate sequencing services and the AREScloud software
for the analysis and interpretation of pathogen genome data. Ares’
isolate sequencing, currently relying mostly on Illumina
technology, is fully validated and highly accurate with
demonstrated accuracies of 100% for pathogen identification,
genotyping and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and 99.76% for
AMR marker detection.
In order to enable accurate isolate sequencing
at a lower cost, faster turnaround time, and reduced complexity for
laboratories, Ares Genetics is conducting a multicenter validation
of the nanopore sequencing platform by Oxford Nanopore Technology
(ONT) in combination with AREScloud for data analysis.
Preliminary results presented by Dr. Materna
confirm the robust performance of pathogen genome assemblies based
on ONT data, an important prerequisite for AREScloud based data
interpretation and predictive AST. While error rates were
consistently higher for ONT data than for the de facto standard
platform Illumina, and while variability in data quality among
participating laboratories could be observed, the quality of the
resulting genome assemblies remained consistently high. As a
consequence, the AREScloud assisted conversion of ONT data into
clinically and epidemiologically relevant information proved highly
accurate for participating labs, with average accuracies of
consistently 100% for pathogen identification, up to 97% for AMR
marker detection, and up to 100% for predictive AST.
In addition to adding ONT sequencing to the Ares
NGS service portfolio, Dr. Materna announced that “the company is
planning to assess the performance and utility of ONT-based isolate
sequencing for clinical routine use in collaboration with a major
US academic hospital. In order to facilitate the workflow adoption
in laboratories worldwide, results of the multicenter validation
and subsequent clinical study are targeted to be published along
with the validation protocols in a peer reviewed scientific
journal.”
A recording of this webinar can be accessed at
OpGen.com.
About OpGen, Inc.
OpGen, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) is a
precision medicine company harnessing the power of molecular
diagnostics and bioinformatics to help combat infectious disease.
Along with subsidiaries, Curetis GmbH and Ares Genetics GmbH, we
are developing and commercializing molecular microbiology solutions
helping to guide clinicians with more rapid and actionable
information about life threatening infections to improve patient
outcomes, and decrease the spread of infections caused by
multidrug-resistant microorganisms, or MDROs. OpGen’s product
portfolio includes Unyvero®, Acuitas® AMR Gene Panel and Acuitas®
Lighthouse, and the ARES Technology Platform including ARESdb®,
using NGS technology and AI-powered bioinformatics solutions for
antibiotic response prediction.
For more information, please visit
www.opgen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements regarding
study data, performance characteristics and potential utility of
certain of Ares Genetics’ assays and services. These statements and
other statements regarding OpGen’s Unyvero products, their
commercialization and launch, future plans and goals constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and are intended to qualify for the safe
harbor from liability established by the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict, are beyond
our control, and which may cause results to differ materially from
expectations. Factors that could cause our results to differ
materially from those described include, but are not limited to,
our ability to successfully, timely and cost-effectively develop,
seek and obtain regulatory clearance for and commercialize our
product and services offerings, the rate of adoption of our
products and services by hospitals and other healthcare providers,
the fact that we may not effectively use proceeds from recent
financings, including our November 2020 private placement, February
2021 Registered Direct and March 2021 warrant exercise and
exchange, the realization of expected benefits of our business
combination transaction with Curetis GmbH, the success of our
commercialization efforts, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s
operations, financial results, and commercialization efforts as
well as on capital markets and general economic conditions, the
effect on our business of existing and new regulatory requirements,
and other economic and competitive factors. For a discussion of the
most significant risks and uncertainties associated with OpGen's
business, please review our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance
on these forward-looking statements, which are based on our
expectations as of the date of this press release and speak only as
of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
OpGen:Oliver SchachtPresident
and CEOInvestorRelations@opgen.com
OpGen Press Contact:Matthew
Bretzius FischTank Marketing and PR
matt@fischtankpr.com
OpGen Investor Contact:Megan
Paul Edison Group mpaul@edisongroup.com
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