Paragon Genomics highlights year of rapid growth fueled by broad acceptance of its CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 research and surveillance products

Paragon Genomics, Inc., a leader in amplicon-based target enrichment solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS) and precision medicine, has reported that its CleanPlex^® SARS-CoV-2 panels for viral detection, mutation analysis, variant tracking and epidemiological research have achieved broad acceptance and rapid sales growth since their introduction a year ago.

Paragon Genomics CEO Tao Chen commented, “While the past year has brought great challenges and irreparable loss, we are grateful that our CleanPlex products for COVID-19 surveillance and research have been contributing to efforts to track and contain the pandemic in countries around the globe. The speed, accuracy and data-rich output of our targeted amplicon sequencing technology have proven to be very valuable for researchers worldwide, who also appreciate its ease of use and cost effectiveness.”

Chen continued, “Expansion of our product offerings, the addition of more than a dozen new distributors to our global network and adoption of our CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 panels by approximately 200 labs in over 30 countries have resulted in sales increasing more than 150% over the past year, with a four-fold increase in demand in the last quarter alone.”

Paragon Genomics’ CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 technology has powered variant detection and tracking since the virus first appeared. In March 2020, the company launched the CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 Panel whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequencing on Illumina and MGI Tech sequencing platforms. This panel allows for the sequencing of the entire SARS-CoV-2 genome and provides accurate nucleic acid-level information on the virus for strain-typing, mutation monitoring and epidemiological studies.

The CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 portfolio also includes the CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 FLEX Panel, which proactively anticipates increases in SARS-CoV-2 viral mutations and is designed to provide assurance that mutation detection and genome coverage remain optimal as the virus mutates; the CleanPlex Respiratory Virus Research Panel, combining assays for SARS-CoV-2, key influenza A subtypes, influenza B, and RSV A and B subtypes; and the CleanPlex ACE2 & TMPRSS2 Panel, a multiplex PCR-based targeted sequencing assay that assesses key human genetic factors affecting patient susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and the likely severity of illness.

Chen added, “As the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates, using sequencing to accurately identify variants is critical for informed monitoring and prevention. We remain committed to expanding our product line to enable researchers to rapidly respond to the emergence of novel viral variants. This is exemplified by today’s launch of our SARS-CoV-2 Emerging Variant Panel Add-on, which is designed to be used with existing CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 products to maintain robust genome coverage for variant calling and identification as the coronavirus evolves. The primers in the Add-on can be implemented into CleanPlex library preparation workflows with minimal disruption, making it easy for researchers to upgrade their panels for better coverage of specific mutations.”

Paragon Genomics CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 Emerging Variant Panel Add-On is designed to be used with existing CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 products to maintain uniform genomic coverage for variant calling and identification. The Add-on provides:

• Robust coverage - Added primers assure uniform coverage of new variants
• Confident variant calling - Optimized for identifying existing and new mutations for surveillance and tracking
• Easy spike-in workflow - Directly added to existing CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 and FLEX panels for ease of use and flexible future updates.

The Add-on primers can be easily implemented into existing CleanPlex library preparation workflows. This flexibility allows current CleanPlex users to access the most recent updates without having to replace existing inventory. Going forward, the Add-on primer pools can be easily revised to include additional primers for superior coverage and performance with new viral variants.

CleanPlex SARS-CoV-2 Panels are powered by Paragon Genomics’ CleanPlex Technology, which uses a proprietary multiplex PCR background cleaning chemistry to effectively remove non-specific PCR products, resulting in best-in-class target enrichment performance and efficient use of sequencing reads.

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