Diagenode snaps up NXT-Dx

DENVILLE, N.J. & LIEGE, Belgium—In mid-August, Diagenode shared news that it was acquiring epigenetics service provider NXT-Dx, which offers a range of start-to-finish epigenetics services such as targeted DNA methylation assays and chromatin and mRNA wet-lab and analysis services. NXT-Dx brings with it established customer bases in Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia. Financial details regarding the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to add NXT-Dx’s expertise to our growing epigenomics services platform,” said Didier Allaer, CEO of Diagenode. “The services offered by NXT-Dx perfectly complement Diagenode’s current chromatin, RNA and DNA methylation assay services and will allow researchers to focus both on discovery and validation of epigenetic signatures. Additionally, the targeted DNA methylation analyses that NXT-Dx offers now close the gap between epigenetics and IVD assay development.”

NXT-Dx’s services are offered within three fields: epigenetics and transcriptomics; genomic testing; and (immuno)proteomics. Within the first field, the company offers services such as Illumina’s Infinium Methylation EPIC array, targeted qPCR, ChIP-seq, RNA-seq (including mRNA, miRNA and total RNA) and expression arrays (including mRNA, miRNA and ncRNA), among others. NXT-Dx’s genomic testing services include SNP arrays, exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing. As for the field of (immuno)proteomics, the company provides services such as luminex assay development, custom high-density peptide array development, high-density ELISAs and multiplexed immunoassays for cancer, cardiovascular disease or inflammation, among others.

NXT-Dx’s services complement Diagenode’s own offerings, which fall into the categories of chromatin analysis, DNA methylation analysis and RNA-seq analysis. Within those areas, Diagenode provides services such as customized next-generation sequencing service, enhancer/promoter analysis, ChIP-seq analysis for histone modification, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing analysis, targeted methylation, whole transcription analysis and gene expression profiling. As Diagenode states on its website, the company provides “epigenome-wide analyses for understanding epigenetic mechanisms, epigenetics-related drug discovery, transgenerational epigenetics studies, epigenetic biomarker identification (including epigenomic cancer biomarkers) and functional epigenomics.”

Diagenode offers a variety of products as well, including its Bioruptor, Megaruptor and One shearing technologies, in addition to its HeLa-histone cell lines. The company also has a range of reagents available, in addition to kits for protein extraction, DNA methylation, exosomes and DNA/RNA purification, to name a few.

“We are excited to be enhancing Diagenode’s service portfolio via this acquisition of our complementary services,” Maarten Braspenning, CEO of NXT-Dx, commented in a press release about the acquisition. “With the combined expertise, we can now offer full end-to-end services for IVD screening of biomarkers and clinical validation of DNA methylation signatures.”

This addition to Diagenode’s offerings mimics how the company began the year with another boost to its product and service portfolio. In the first quarter, Diagenode shared news, along with Genialis, of the launch of a streamlined RNA-seq data analysis workflow for evaluating gene expression in low-input or degraded RNA samples. The workflow united Diagenode’s Capture and Amplification by Tailing and Switching (CATS) RNA-seq library preparation products with an automated bioinformatics pipeline developed for Genialis’ cloud-based, multi-omics data interpretation platform. With this sample-to-analysis workflow, Diagenode kits can be used to generate ready-to-sequence RNA-seq libraries from picogram amounts of RNA in a matter of hours, and the data can then be processed with the Genialis Expressions Software-as-a-Service platform, which features a fully automated CATS RNA-seq bioinformatics pipeline.