French biotech Genomic Vision is planning the imminent launch of its FiberSmart AI-based software to automate genomic analysis, following successful testing and validation.
FiberSmart underwent successful beta testing by AstraZeneca and the Fritz Lipmann Institute in Germany for the rapid analysis of DNA replication kinetics, Genomic Vision reported today.
The AI-based suite aims to automate the detection and quantification of fluorescent signals on combed DNA molecules and was tested on the company’s proprietary Replicating Combing Assay (RCA).
Molecular combing is an established technique designed to untangle DNA molecules so they can be studied at a single molecule level.
The technology can bring a new perspective to genetic testing by detecting large genomic rearrangements and complex structural variations involved in hereditary diseases.
Millions of large DNA fragments are simultaneously stretched and assembled onto a specially treated glass surface, and the resulting DNA organized into separate strands.
The RCA allows analysis of both the spatial and temporal characteristics of DNA replication in a single experiment, analyzing the replication profiles on DNA of comparable length.
Replication at a specific genetic locus can be determined at the same time by carrying out fluorescent detection of hybridized probes for the region of interest and incorporated modified nucleotides.
The FiberSmart software allows hundreds of thousands of RCA signals to be automatically analyzed and rapidly compared.
“The successful beta testing of FiberSmart for the analysis of DNA replication kinetics is an important milestone for all our partners who can now perform faster and more accurate analysis using the RCA with a seamless experience,” said Genomic Vision CEO Aaron Bensimon in a press statement.
“Along with RCA, our proprietary DNA combing technique has multiple potential applications, and we look forward to expanding FiberSmart’s capabilities to empower our users to perform faster more accurate analyses.”
Fritz Lipmann Institute senior research fellow Helmut Pospiech, PhD, added: “FiberSmart sets new standards in the analysis and quantification of Replication Combing Assays as it offers automated recognition of DNA structures, as well as ease and speed of use.”
RCA is the first assay to be analyzed and automated with the FiberSmart software and can assess DNA replication kinetics up to three times more accurately and up to ten times faster than Genomic Vision’s existing software.
FiberSmart for the RCA application will be launched in the coming weeks, Genomic Vision stated. The software suite is compatible with Genomic Vision’s suite of scanners FiberVision and FiberVision-S.
The company was established in 2004 and is a publicly traded company on the Euronext regulated market in Paris. It first entered into a technological collaboration with AstraZeneca in 2017, targeting DNA damage responses for novel anti-cancer treatments.