Annoroad Gene Technology and PacBio Forge Strategic Partnership to Build a Leading Asian Genomics Center

Following the 2017 announcement of the introduction of 10 PacBio Sequel sequencers, Annoroad Gene Technology has recently announced a strategic partnership with Pacific Biosciences. The two parties will engage in in-depth collaboration on the application of SMRT single-molecule sequencing technology in fields such as basic research in plant and animal genomics, basic medical research, and translational medicine research.

Annuoda, headquartered in Beijing, is a renowned Chinese genetics enterprise and a leading genomics center in Asia. It has been recognized as one of the first batch of Gene Testing Technology Application Demonstration Centers by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and designated as a National High-Tech Enterprise. The company also operates a postdoctoral research workstation.

The company focuses on the industrial application of genomics technologies in two major fields: human medical health and life sciences research. Its current business portfolio spans multiple areas, including sequencing instruments, reproductive health, genetic disorders, oncology, genetic health screenings, medical research, scientific research services, and genomic big data. The company has established strategic partnerships with Illumina (US) and Alibaba Cloud, positioning itself as a leading Bio-IT enterprise in China centered on gene technology.

In 2017, Annoroad Genomics announced the establishment of the Annoroad Typical Chinese Genomes (ATCG) database, a genomic database dedicated to the Chinese population, to deeply mine reliable variants specific to the Chinese population and elucidate the patterns of genetic mutations in this group.

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (Nasdaq: PACB), founded in 2000, is dedicated to helping scientists solve complex genetic problems with its sequencing systems. Leveraging its novel Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) technology, Pacific Biosciences’ products facilitate the assembly and sequencing of new genome sequences, enabling more comprehensive identification, annotation, and deciphering of genomic structures; its full-length transcript sequencing analysis improves gene annotation in reference genomes.

By conducting targeted sequencing, Pacific Biosciences is able to more comprehensively reveal information characterizing genetic variants and genomics.

With the in-depth application of PacBio sequencing technology in human genomics, its products will further enrich the genetic variation information in the ATCG database. Meanwhile, both parties will also engage in deep collaboration on the construction of gene banks for important agricultural germplasm resources, thereby further promoting the application of gene technology in agricultural breeding.

Dr. Chen Chongjian, President of Annoroad, stated: “In recent years, the rapid advancement of sequencing technologies has greatly promoted research in the fields of life sciences and clinical medicine. PacBio long-read sequencing has demonstrated significant advantages in areas such as de novo assembly and structural variant detection, indicating very broad application prospects.”

AnnoYoda CEO Li Dawei added, “In 2017, our company completed de novo genome assembly, full-length transcriptome sequencing, and human whole-genome resequencing projects for hundreds of samples using the PacBio Sequel sequencing platform. Given the broad application prospects of single-molecule sequencing technology, we will continue to work with Pacific Biosciences to promote the in-depth application of PacBio sequencing technologies in these fields.”

Dr. Michael J. Hunkapiller, Chairman and CEO of PacBio, stated: “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Annoroad Gene Technology, a leading sequencing service provider in China. Through this collaboration with Annoroad, we are highly confident in integrating SMRT sequencing into its comprehensive portfolio of services. We are particularly pleased that Annoroad chose us after carefully evaluating alternative options.”