DNAnexus and AlidaBio Collaborate to Advance RNA Modification and Expression Analysis
DNAnexus, Inc., a leader in precision health data platforms, and Alida Biosciences (AlidaBio), renowned for its RNA epigenomic research tools, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating research into epitranscriptomics—the study of RNA modifications that regulate gene expression. This collaboration seeks to enhance the understanding of RNA’s chemical changes, with the potential to unlock new biomarkers and drug targets for diseases like cancer and neurological disorders.
Advancing Epitranscriptomics Research
Epitranscriptomics plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression, offering significant insights into how RNA modifications affect cellular functions. By exploring these modifications, scientists can discover biomarkers that help determine how patients might respond to certain treatments. This understanding is pivotal for advancing personalized medicine, allowing patients to be matched with the most appropriate therapies and clinical trials.
The collaboration between DNAnexus and AlidaBio focuses on providing researchers with the tools necessary to identify and analyze these critical RNA modifications. With more accurate data on epitranscriptomics, the collaboration aims to support the development of targeted therapies and improve clinical outcomes for patients.
EpiScout™ on DNAnexus Cloud Platform
As part of the collaboration, AlidaBio’s EpiScout™ Analysis Suite Application will be hosted exclusively on the DNAnexus cloud platform. EpiScout is a user-friendly tool designed to simplify the analysis of epitranscriptomics activity. This software will enable researchers to accurately detect, visualize, and analyze RNA modifications by utilizing AlidaBio’s EpiPlex™ RNA modification encoding kits.
EpiScout is equipped with custom algorithms for data normalization and machine learning-based peak calling technology, which ensures that significant regions of read enrichment are identified and quantified with precision. This streamlined process makes it easier for researchers to interpret their data, reducing the technological challenges typically associated with large-scale experiments and enabling more rapid biological discovery.
Simplifying Complex Analyses for Researchers
The collaboration also aims to reduce the bioinformatics complexity that often comes with next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. For many researchers, analyzing complex data sets requires specialized expertise in bioinformatics, a challenge that can hinder progress in the lab. By integrating EpiScout with the DNAnexus cloud platform, the collaboration allows scientists at all levels to access and analyze data with ease, ensuring that their findings are reproducible and shareable.
For example, Hoang Quoc Hai Pham, a graduate student at City of Hope National Medical Center, praised the platform for making data more accessible and easier to share with collaborators. “A cloud-based analysis tool like the DNAnexus platform empowers scientists at any level to analyze data while ensuring reproducibility,” he explained, adding that he enjoyed using it for his m6A-seq samples.
The Power of the DNAnexus Cloud Platform
DNAnexus currently manages over 105 petabytes of complex clinical, genomic, proteomic, and multiomic data, supporting more than 45,000 users across 48 countries. The platform ensures that all data is processed in accordance with the highest industry standards for security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
By hosting AlidaBio’s EpiScout application on the DNAnexus platform, researchers will benefit from seamless integration into a comprehensive cloud-based ecosystem. This partnership makes it possible to unlock more actionable insights from multiomic datasets, ultimately accelerating the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutics.
Thomas Laur, CEO of DNAnexus, emphasized the importance of this collaboration in expanding access to essential epitranscriptomics tools. “This collaboration with AlidaBio is a great example of how we continue to expand our cloud-based applications and enable our customers to unlock more actionable information hidden in their large multiomic datasets,” he said. “Together, we are making these easy-to-use epitranscriptomics tools accessible, empowering more researchers worldwide to discover the next wave of biomarkers and therapeutics.”
Enabling Personalized Medicine
The strategic partnership between DNAnexus and AlidaBio represents a significant step forward in advancing the field of epitranscriptomics. With these enhanced tools, researchers will be able to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets more efficiently, which is crucial for the development of personalized treatments.
By offering a cloud-based solution for the analysis of RNA modifications, the collaboration helps overcome the technical barriers that researchers face when analyzing complex data. This will ultimately pave the way for more precise and effective treatments for diseases like cancer and neurological disorders, benefiting patients worldwide.
Conclusion
DNAnexus and AlidaBio’s collaboration stands as a critical milestone in the field of RNA research. With the integration of EpiScout into the DNAnexus platform, the partnership will provide researchers with a powerful tool to explore the complexities of RNA modifications. By simplifying data analysis and enabling large-scale research, this collaboration is expected to accelerate the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies, enhancing the future of personalized medicine and patient care.
About Alida Biosciences
Alida Biosciences is revolutionizing epigenomics and leading the way in next-generation RNA modification analysis, empowering breakthroughs in research, therapeutics, and diagnostics. Founded in 2020, AlidaBio develops groundbreaking products that simplify bioinformatics, enabling concurrent analysis of multiple RNA modifications with relative quantification. Its solutions utilize RNA inputs suitable for clinically relevant samples, offering unparalleled workflow efficiency and accessibility. AlidaBio is proudly backed by Genoa Ventures, FusionX Ventures, and Vertical Venture Partners, alongside ongoing support from multiple SBIR grants from the National Human Genome Research Institute. For more information, please visit www.alidabio.com.
About DNAnexus
DNAnexus, the enterprise platform for precision health data, is on a mission to accelerate the development, approval, and delivery of personalized treatments. Building on more than 15 years of bioinformatics innovation and genomics expertise, DNAnexus powers a connected data ecosystem trusted by the world’s precision health leaders. This flexible ecosystem makes omics and real-world data accessible, actionable, and secure while unlocking insights that improve patient lives. For more information, visit www.dnanexus.com or follow @DNAnexus on social media.
