Sage Science Wins $1.8M NHGRI Grant To Automate Targeted DNA Capture

Sage Science has secured $1.8 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The grant funds a two-year program to develop and commercialize a fully automated platform for the company’s HLS-CATCH targeted DNA sample preparation process, which is designed to analyze genomic regions that cannot be captured with conventional tools.

The HLS-CATCH method, which is currently available as a manual technique with the SageHLS system, makes it possible to analyze complex genomic phenomena such as disease-causing repeat elements or structural variations using routine sequencing technologies. With this method, researchers have already sequenced a number of important genes, including PKD1, BRCA1/2, MAPT, and MHC.

“This NHGRI award underscores the need for innovative approaches for targeted capture of large genomic regions, and we are eager to address that with the development of an automated process for the HLS-CATCH method,” said Todd Barbera, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Science. “Using Cas9 to cut at specific sequences provides the flexibility to home in on the remaining dark areas of the genome, many of which are associated with disease. We believe that we can provide a cost-effective DNA sequencing strategy to study genes that cannot be analyzed by current target enrichment methods or by whole genome sequencing.”

The HLS-CATCH method uses electrophoresis to extract DNA from cells into a gel matrix. The gel-embedded DNA is cleaved at specific genomic sites using Cas9 nuclease with guideRNAs, and large, intact DNA targets (100 kilobases to 1 megabase) are then purified and collected. – Medical Buyer Bureau