Ultima Genomics, Inc.

BOSTON, Nov. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Volta Labs, a leader in automation for genomics, and New England Biolabs® (NEB®), a world-renowned provider of life science reagents, today announced a co-development partnership to expand the portfolio of NEBNext® reagents available on the Callisto™ Sample Preparation Platform. The collaboration combines Volta's fully automated NGS sample preparation system with NEB's trusted, high-performance NEBNext NGS sample preparation kits to deliver reproducible, walk- away automation. "Our collaboration with NEB extends Callisto's mission to make advanced sequencing more accessible and reproducible," said Udayan Umapathi, CEO of Volta Labs. "By bringing NEB's gold-standard chemistries onto the platform, we're enabling labs to run trusted WGS workflows automatically — without sacrificing flexibility or performance." Menu expansion: NEBNext® Ultra™ II FS Library Prep for Whole-Genome Sequencing The two companies are developing NEBNext® chemistries on the Callisto platform, starting with NEBNext® Ultra™ II FS DNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina sequencing. This fully automated workflow integrates NEB reagents into Callisto's digital fluidics platform, enabling researchers and clinical labs to perform high-yield, high-quality library preparation with minimal hands-on time and maximum consistency. This expansion will further enhance Callisto's "Any Sequencer, Any Chemistry" approach — allowing labs to prepare high-quality WGS libraries across multiple platforms such as Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, PacBio, and Ultima Genomics using pre-validated NEB reagents. "We're excited to see our reagents integrated into innovative automation platforms like Callisto," said Andrew Barry, Associate Director, Portfolio Management, NGS at NEB. "By combining NEB's proven enzymology with the power of Callisto, we can deliver robust, high-fidelity NGS workflows that meet the needs of today's genomics labs." Simplified, Consistent, and Scalable Library Preparation The Callisto platform automates DNA extraction, fragmentation, library preparation, and enrichment within a compact, benchtop system. The integration of NEB reagents provides: Consistency: Highly uniform fragment sizes and cleaner libraries across every batch Speed: Full setup in < 30 minutes, with 3 hours of walk-away runtime Flexibility: Pre-validated workflows compatible with multiple sequencing systems About Volta Labs Volta Labs is transforming genomic sample preparation with next-generation automation, enabling labs to move from manual, variable workflows to scalable, reproducible, walk-away sample processing. Founded in 2018 and based in Boston, Volta's mission is to simplify genomics workflows across research and clinical environments—accelerating discovery and improving human health. Learn more at About New England Biolabs New England Biolabs, Inc. is a recognized world leader in the discovery, development, and About New England Biolabs. For over 50 years, New England Biolabs (NEB) has pioneered the discovery and production of innovative products tailored for molecular biology research. Our commitment to scientific discovery is evident in all that we do, including our ever-expanding product portfolio, investment in our basic and applied research program, and support of customers' research in academia and industry, including cutting-edge technologies for use in molecular diagnostics and nucleic-acid vaccines development. Guided by our founding principles, NEB proactively invests in efforts to improve the well-being of our employees, surrounding communities, as well as the future of our planet. NEB remains a privately held company with global reach, supported by our headquarters in Ipswich, MA, USA, subsidiary offices in 10 countries, and over 60 distribution partners around the world. For more information about New England Biolabs, visit . For more information, visit . NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS , NEB® and NEBNEXT® are registered trademarks of New England Biolabs, Inc. Media Contacts Volta Labs: [email protected] Nicole Ellis Ovadia Director of Strategic Marketing, Volta Labs New England Biolabs: mailto:[email protected] Deana D. Martin, Ph.D. Director, Marketing Communications New England Biolabs 240 County Road Ipswich, MA 01938 Tel: 978-380-7464 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Volta Labs Inc. 21% more press release views with Request a Demo

New bioRxiv paper showcases: Tumor-informed ctDNA detection down to one-in-ten million (10-7), which extends well beyond the limits of currently available clinical minimal residual disease (MRD) assays Superior double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) recovery rates versus other technologies, reducing sequencing requirements by 10- to 100-fold to achieve ultrasensitive detection levels and enabling a cost-effective whole-genome approach High efficiency and simple WGS workflow, yielding greater than 20x coverage per ng of cfDNA, reducing the amount of input material required for MRD and other liquid biopsy applications New highly sensitive approach to tumor-informed MRD as well as tumor-naive MRD and monitoring settings, where matched tumor tissue is not available FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultima Genomics, a developer and manufacturer of an innovative ultra-high throughput sequencing architecture, announced a new publication, made available today in bioRxiv, showing the ultra-sensitive single-nucleotide variant (SNV) detection capabilities of its ppmSeq™ technology, with error rates down to 8 x 10-8. Led by researchers from the Landau Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center, this pre-print also demonstrates ctDNA detection limits for ppmSeq which significantly extends beyond the limits of currently available MRD assays, while utilizing a simple whole genome sequencing workflow that requires 10- to 100-fold less sequencing coverage versus other error correction techniques. These researchers conclude that these key features make ppmSeq well suited for clinical applications where high accuracy is required for mutation identification, such as tumor informed and tumor agnostic MRD detection. Continue Reading "With its unique combination of low-cost and high accuracy, ppmSeq marks a real breakthrough in sequencing technology," said Dan A. Landau, MD, PhD, a core member at the New York Genome Center, and Professor of Medicine & Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine. "It opens new horizons in studying the somatic genome as a novel frontier in human genetics, and holds enormous promise for clinical applications, including sensitive detection of cancer residual disease." "With its unique combination of low-cost and high accuracy, ppmSeq marks a real breakthrough in sequencing technology" Post this While high-throughput sequencing has seen rapid adoption for genome-wide variant identification, distinguishing true biological variation in the form of SNVs from sequencing errors remains a key challenge. Traditional sequencing approaches are too error-prone for detection of low variant allele frequency variants and are blind to errors resulting from DNA degradation or damage during sample preparation. These challenges limit the ability of traditional NGS technologies to detect and identify rare variants, a feature which is important in emerging applications like MRD and somatic mosaicism. To increase the ability to detect rare variants, current NGS approaches often rely on error-correction techniques, such as duplex sequencing, which involves sequencing both strands of a DNA molecule to filter out errors identified by discordant strands caused by single-stranded damage. While this reduces SNV error rates for dual-stranded reads, singleton reads must be discarded for these methods. As such, these methods require massive over sequencing to reliably capture sufficient duplex molecules, making whole-genome duplex sequencing prohibitively expensive. In a Nature Methods paper published in 2025, researchers in the Landau Lab demonstrated the advantages identifying SNVs with Ultima's flow-based sequencing by synthesis technology versus conventional SBS chemistry. Researchers identified that the ultra-low error profiles of Ultima's flow-based sequencing chemistry presented a foundation on which to build error correction techniques using duplex sequencing that could potentially enable ultra-low ctDNA detection levels, meaningful for applications that require rare mutation detection like MRD. In this new bioRxiv paper, researchers from the same group utilized ppmSeq, a technology developed by Ultima and native to the Ultima platform, to further improve upon the previously published low SNV detection limits. Building on Ultima's ultra-low error, flow-based sequencing, ppmSeq encodes both strands of DNA molecules in a single sequencing read to enable up to part-per-ten million (10-7) accuracy (SNVQ70) for SNV calling. This exceptional accuracy provides extreme assay sensitivity for low frequency alleles while also requiring 10- to 100-fold less sequencing depth than other error correction techniques. Study showcases ppmSeq as a highly accurate, low-cost, high throughput method for dsDNA sequencing built on a simple WGS workflow with potential for robust clinical applications Researchers from the Landau Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center benchmarked ppmSeq assay performance and sensitivity against other technologies. Key findings demonstrate ppmSeq has: Ultrasensitive SNV detection capabilities. ppmSeq demonstrated ultrasensitive SNV detection with error rates down to 0.8 x 10-7 (0.8 parts-per-ten million) for gDNA and cell-free DNA. Superior dsDNA recovery rates and lower sequencing requirements. ppmSeq demonstrated superior double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) recovery rates, reducing sequencing requirements by 10- to 100-fold and enabling a cost-effective whole genome approach. Ability to sequence low-input samples. The ppmSeq workflow was shown to be highly efficient, yielding greater than 20x coverage per ng of cfDNA and reducing the amount of input material required. Researchers also tested the capabilities of ppmSeq in clinical applications by assessing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection for disease monitoring in cancer patients. Key findings include: Tumor-informed ctDNA detection down to one-in-ten million. ppmSeq enabled tumor-informed ctDNA detection of 10-5 across multiple cancers, and up to 10-7 in cancers with high mutation burden at 30x sequencing depth , which extends below the limits of current MRD assays. ctDNA detection capabilities in tumor-naive disease monitoring. ppmSeq identified disease-specific signal in plasma cell-free DNA without the need for a matched tumor. Together, these researchers conclude that ppmSeq is a highly accurate and cost-effective option for emerging clinical applications including tumor-informed MRD, tumor-naïve MRD and an opportunity to explore new whole-genome applications in cancer genomics, including somatic mosaicism. "As a highly accurate, highly scalable WGS approach, ppmSeq can be a key building block for the next generation of tumor-informed and tumor-naive cancer monitoring applications" said Adam Widman, MD, a researcher and medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a co-author on the study. "ppmSeq is a major step forward in high-accuracy sequencing," said Charles Swanton, Deputy Clinical Director at The Francis Crick Institute. "Its low error rate and high throughput could enable powerful new applications in liquid biopsy and beyond. This study showcases how ultra-low error, high-throughput sequencing with ppmSeq could transform applications in the field of MRD requiring very high accuracy — from bench to bedside." Ultima's ppmSeq technology enables high-quality data and its published specifications provide part-per-million accuracy, or SNVQ60, for calling single nucleotide variants (SNVs). ppmSeq, designed for the UG 100 sequencing platform, is also compatible with the UG 100 Solaris Free workflow. Launched at AGBT 2025, the UG 100 Solaris workflows enabled an over 50% increase versus prior specifications in output to 10 to 12 billion reads per wafer and pricing reduced by 20% to $0.24 per million reads, enabling the $80 genome. "Ultima's unique sequencing architecture was designed to specifically meet the needs of cost-effective, large-scale applications. It especially excels in applications like liquid biopsy that require extreme accuracy, and we are excited to see further validation of ppmSeq within the academic community," said Gilad Almogy, CEO and Founder of Ultima Genomics. "We believe that sensitivity, ease of workflow and low cost of ppmSeq will be transformational for applications requiring earlier detection such as MRD." The full study, "Paired plus-minus sequencing is an ultra-high throughput and accurate method for dual strand sequencing of DNA molecules" is now available in bioRxiv. About Ultima Genomics Ultima Genomics is unleashing the power of genomics at scale. The Company's mission is to continuously drive the scale of genomic information to enable unprecedented advances in biology and improvements in human health. With humanity on the cusp of a biological revolution, there is a virtually endless need for more genomic information to address biology's complexity and dynamic change—and a further need to challenge conventional next-generation sequencing technologies. Ultima's revolutionary new sequencing architecture drives down the costs of sequencing to help overcome the tradeoffs that scientists and clinicians are forced to make between the breadth, depth and frequency with which they use genomic information. The new sequencing architecture was designed to scale far beyond conventional sequencing technologies, lower the cost of genomic information and catalyze the next phase of genomics in the 21st century. To learn more, visit Media Contact Vikki Herrera for Ultima Genomics 408-206-7009 [email protected] SOURCE Ultima Genomics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

SAN DIEGO & TAINAN CITY, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inocras Inc., a global leader in whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and bioinformatics, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ChiMei Medical Center (CMMC), a premier medical institution in Taiwan, and Trivator Biomedical Limited, a biomedical advisory firm in Taiwan. This expansion agreement aims to introduce Inocras’s MRDVision tumor-informed minimal residual disease (MRD) test, utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) blood samples, and CancerVision, its AI-powered bioinformatics cloud solution, to support WGS at CMMC, advancing Taiwan’s precision oncology landscape. Integrated into CMMC’s sequencing and clinical workflows, CancerVision and MRDVision together provide an end-to-end solution for genome-informed cancer monitoring and personalized treatment assessment. This initiative brings together CMMC’s in-house WGS laboratory infrastructure with Inocras’s advanced bioinformatics and ctDNA analysis platforms, creating a synergistic ecosystem for both research and clinical-grade genomics. The integration of MRDVision’s ultra-sensitive ctDNA monitoring with CancerVision’s scalable cloud analytics enables an end-to-end workflow—from sequencing to interpretation—within CMMC’s existing clinical operations. CancerVision, Inocras’s whole-genome tumor profiling test, forms the foundation for tumor-informed MRD analysis by first characterizing each patient’s tumor genome. This enables the application of MRDVision, which monitors circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) across the entire genome with a simulated limit of detection of 1 part per million (ppm), without requiring patient-specific panels. Powered by Ultima Genomics’ ppmSeq technology and Inocras’s bioinformatics platform, MRDVision identified tumor signals in 6% of cases missed by a leading MRD assay in a head-to-head clinical study of post-surgical ovarian and lung cancer patients. Integrated into CMMC’s sequencing and clinical workflows, CancerVision and MRDVision together provide an end-to-end solution for genome-informed cancer monitoring and personalized treatment assessment. “We are excited to partner with ChiMei Medical Center and Trivator to bring MRDVision and our CancerVision bioinformatics cloud solution to Taiwan,” said Jehee Suh, CEO of Inocras Inc. “MRDVision’s unmatched sensitivity, combined with CancerVision’s robust cloud-based analytics, will empower CMMC to deliver cutting-edge cancer monitoring and precision medicine to patients.” Chi Mei Medical Center, renowned for its leadership in innovative healthcare, will leverage its clinical expertise and advanced infrastructure to implement the MRDVision and CancerVision platforms, further enhancing its whole-genome sequencing (WGS) capabilities. Trivator Biomedical Limited will provide local advisory and logistical support to ensure seamless integration into Taiwan’s routine medical practice. “We are proud to be a regional pioneer in integrating genomic technologies into routine oncology practice,” said Dr. Chein-Feng Li, Director of the Core Laboratory for Precision Medicine at Chi Mei Medical Center. “By incorporating Inocras’s MRDVision and CancerVision platforms, we are strengthening our capabilities in personalized cancer diagnostics and advancing Taiwan’s leadership in translational genomic medicine.” “This collaboration is a transformative step for precision medicine in Taiwan,” said Wen-Tsao Lee, founder of Trivator Biomedical Limited. “By introducing MRDVision and CancerVision, we are combining Inocras’s innovative technologies with CMMC’s clinical excellence to redefine cancer care and genomic research.” The MOU serves as a framework for future definitive agreements to scope collaborative projects. The parties are committed to assessing market feasibility, engaging key opinion leaders, and establishing Taiwan as a hub for WGS-based precision medicine, with a focus on MRDVision and CancerVision. For more information about Inocras and its precision medicine solutions, visit www.inocras.com.