The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program and Psomagen Inc. Make Agreement with Goal to Transform Parkinson's Disease Genetics Research and Patient Outcomes

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Psomagen Inc., with the support of the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), will perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on a global cohort of 80,000 patients and research participants to execute GP2's aim to use genetic knowledge to accelerate the path to the development and deployment of therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's Disease (PD). The program will run over the next 2.5 - 3 years using Illumina sequencing instruments and reagents.

GP2 is a program supported by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative managed by the Coalition for Aligning Science and implemented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and is focused on improving our understanding of the genetic architecture of Parkinson's disease and making this knowledge globally relevant. The program is made up of member organizations and over 160 cohorts collecting samples and data from around the world to create a global research community dedicated to rapidly addressing emerging research needs in PD. GP2 specifically has the goal of including groups traditionally underrepresented in genetics research, to diversify its understanding of PD by focusing on inclusion in the research pipeline. The global initiative is led by Andrew Singleton, PhD and Cornelis Blauwendraat, PhD of the National Institutes of Health. GP2 cohort samples will start to be processed immediately. 

"Our collaboration with Psomagen Inc. is an important step towards ASAP's vision of improving processes that deliver faster and better outcomes for PD," said Ekemini Riley, PhD, managing director at ASAP. "Diverse cohort samples collected by GP2 from all over the world will be processed and analyzed to generate whole genome sequencing data that can detect new variants, address gaps in our knowledge of PD, and improve the understanding of the disease."

U.S. multi-omics contract research organization, Psomagen Inc. (KOSDAQ 950200), will perform the human whole genome sequencing at their laboratories and headquarters located in Rockville, MD.  Matt Kramer, V.P. of Sales & Marketing at Psomagen, stated, "With our nearly 20 years of services experience, the key to our customers' success has been built on trust of our customers through continued collaborations like our work with the GP2 program.  Maintaining a high service level comes from our attention to detail and accurate results with our CLIA approved, CAP accredited, and ISO certified labs - consistently meeting the requirements of such national and/or global-scale projects. It's our honor to serve the mission of ASAP and work with GP2 and The Michael J. Fox Foundation in this incredible effort."

Psomagen will utilize the NovaSeq X Plus, Illumina's most powerful high-throughput sequencer, with its 25B flow cell, library preparation kits and analysis software to generate the whole-genome sequencing data.

"An initiative to sequence and analyze 80,000 whole genomes in this timeframe would not have been possible even 5-10 years ago, so we are really excited that the NovaSeq X Plus will help enable this critical work to advance our understanding of PD," said Nicole Berry, Head of Americas Region, Illumina. "And the global cohort built by GP2 will serve to improve the diversity of genomic data that will ultimately inform improved precision therapies for more people with PD around the world."

About Psomagen Inc.

Psomagen, formerly Macrogen, is a Contract Research Services (CRO) provider celebrating its 20^th year anniversary in 2024 – over this time it has offered genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analysis to research programs and operations throughout North America, serving academic, pharma, biotech, government and industry.  Its US-based, CAP and CLIA certified laboratories are located in Rockville, MD, New York City, NY and Boston, MA and provide genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics technologies such as short and long-read next-generation sequencing (NGS), Sanger (CE) sequencing, microarray, single-cell omics, metagenomics and microbiome, spatial biology, bioinformatics and biomarker discovery.  Psomagen utilizes state-of-the-art technology from partners such as Illumina, 10X Genomics, and PacBio among others, providing services including nucleic acid or protein extraction, sample quality control, assay preparation, analysis and interpretation.

About Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP)

Aligning Science Across Parkinson's is a coordinated research initiative dedicated to accelerating the pace of discovery and informing the path to a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD) through collaboration, the generation of research-enabling resources, and data sharing. ASAP supports five major programs, including the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program which aims to improve the understanding of genetic architecture of PD by integrating ancestrally diverse populations to address gasps in knowledge about the disease and make PD genetics globally relevant.

SOURCE Psomagen Inc