Genome sequencing firm Ultima Genomics has occur out of stealth and announced $600 million in funding. Founded in 2016 by its Israeli CEO Gilad Almogy, the enterprise has 350 employees which includes 50 in Israel at enhancement centers in Rehovot and Hod Hasharon, and remarkably has managed to reduce any leaks of information from its workers, buyers and advancement facilities.

The enterprise has now disclosed that it has designed a sequencing machine, which it statements, backed up by exploration set to be published in leading scientific periodicals, allows genome sequencing for $100, in contrast with the $500-600 it expenditures applying its rival Illumina (Nasdaq: ILMN). In addition, Ultima Genomics claims that its genomic sequencing is a lot quicker and further – in other terms, it supplies extra details about the genome, extra immediately.

The added benefits of these advancements, which are permitted as a result of patents that the firm has not nonetheless exposed, are primarily in two directions. Through this engineering, the firm estimates and hopes, it will be achievable to obtain genome sequencing even down to one cells, and hence diagnose sicknesses even before than at existing, predominantly cancer. In addition, sequencing that is much less expensive, more quickly and richer in information, will make it possible for a lot a lot quicker development in jobs that compare the genetics of the actual morbidity of big figures of people today, in get to map the genes included in various illnesses.

Resources at Ultima Genomics say that the explanation for the secrecy about the a long time was the drive to arrive at the position in which the enterprise could establish its item, in advance of creating any announcements. The company also desired not to stir up its rivals, mainly Illumina.

Ultima Genomics CEO and founder Gilad Almogy is a graduate of the IDF’s Talpiot science and management program. Almogy is right now resident in the US. He was a senior vice president at Used Materials in advance of founding photo voltaic strength corporation Cogenra Solar in 2009, which was acquired by SunPower in 2015. In late 2016, Almogy started Ultima.

Almogy mentioned, “DNA is nature’s storage media and the instruction established for every single living organism, however with recent systems, we are not able to accessibility that information and facts at the scale wanted to really recognize complicated biology. Our architecture is intended for radical scaling, and the $100 genome is merely the to start with example of what it can provide. We are committed to continuously generate down the expense of genomic info until it is routinely used in each portion of the health care process.”




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Ultima Genomics CSO Doron Lipson added, “Researchers and clinicians continuously make tradeoffs involving the breadth, depth, and frequency of genomic info they obtain. By conquering the limitations of traditional next-generation sequencing systems, researchers can now design and style experiments and clinical assays that have been beforehand unattainable.”

1 of the very first traders in Ultima Genomics was Israeli billionaire and Check Point founder Marius Nacht, who is also a graduate of the IDF’s Talpiot application. Nqcht established the aMoon healthtech and existence science financial investment fund, initially investing his possess property before becoming an independent fund, which in current yrs lifted a $750 million development fund. aMoon has also invested in Ultima Genomics.

Other investors in Ultima Genomics incorporate D1 Cash, Andreessen Horowitz, Typical Atlantic, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed, Playground World wide, and Founders Fund.

Total disclosure: Marius Nacht is the former life spouse of Anat Agmon, component of the managing shareholders in “Globes.” They are associated in a own and economic dispute

Revealed by Globes, Israel organization information – en.globes.co.il – on June 2, 2022.

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