Scaling genomics at the heart of healthcare

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) increasingly is at the heart of genomic workflows. It is now possible to sequence an entire genome for as little as a few hundred US dollars, and the number of innovations in the field of NGS continues to grow as the technology develops.

As new NGS methods and related technologies enter the market, Tecan is ideally positioned to adapt to them with its modular, customized approach. For example, Tecan products support new and innovative workflows, such as for liquid biopsies. The connection between the Tecan Life Sciences Business and Tecan Partnering Business is particularly attractive for Tecan’s business partners, representing the opportunity for the best innovations arising from research on a Tecan platform to develop into new commercial diagnostic platforms that can be sold worldwide.

Our modular portfolio allows us to respond rapidly and flexibly to market needs and develop solutions for our commercial partners quickly, built on a robust, reliable platform. What starts off as the purchase of a single Tecan system from the Life Sciences Business may convert to a major agreement between the Tecan Partnering Business and a large in-vitro diagnostics company to develop a proprietary platform using common building blocks.

Tecan's core expertise in fluidics is also crucial for building the best sequencers in the first place. Fluidics is a key component of sequencing instruments, giving sequencing companies a solid reason to work closely with us.

Manual sample preparation for NGS is highly error-prone and a huge barrier to productivity. All forms of NGS require sample preparation that is fast, efficient, and reliable, on a scale that also makes it available and affordable for patients. Tecan's sample and library preparation solutions are compatible with all the major players in the NGS market.

For personalized medicine, NGS helps to identify genetic variations associated with diseases. Whole genome or targeted NGS means clinicians can make better informed decisions about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. In cancer research, NGS provides insight into the genomic alterations that underlie tumorigenesis. Tumor heterogeneity, clonal evolution and the identification of actionable mutations guide the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies.

In the future vision of value-based healthcare, individual genomes or DNA sequences will be routinely sequenced for everyone and seamlessly integrated into routine care. This information will make it possible to assess individual cancer risk, including the assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) after taking liquid biopsies to check whether a cancer has returned and to adjust therapy. It will be possible to customize treatments and prevent adverse drug reactions – promising a new dimension of precision, prognosis and prediction compared to today’s healthcare.