IDbyDNA Announces Agreement with ZeptoMetrix to Support Quality Control Products

— IDbyDNA to use Explify metagenomics technology platform to QC
reference materials —

SAN FRANCISCO & SALT LAKE CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)–IDbyDNA,
a metagenomics technology company setting a new standard for the
identification and understanding of microorganisms and their role in
human health, today announced a commercial agreement with ZeptoMetrix,
a world leading laboratory quality control (QC) and reference materials
supplier. IDbyDNA will use the Explify^® metagenomics
technology platform to analyze such materials provided by ZeptoMetrix to
ensure the accurate identification, molecular typing, and biological
purity of viral reference strains, bacterial isolates, and other
materials.

“ZeptoMetrix is the preferred choice for molecular diagnostic
controls and panels for infectious disease testing,” said Shawn R.
Smith, President and CEO of ZeptoMetrix. “Major molecular assay and
platform manufacturers, as well as providers of proficiency testing
services, count on ZeptoMetrix to ensure that complementary controls and
verification materials are developed in the effort to ensure optimal
utilization of their assays in the field. The Explify Platform,
utilizing a database of over 50,000 microorganisms and over 3,000
infectious pathogens to identify and characterize microorganisms in an
unbiased fashion, will be invaluable to us in meeting our clients’ needs
for enhanced confidence and biological traceability in the quality
controls, reference strains, and proficiency testing materials that we
provide.”

“This agreement with ZeptoMetrix announced today is an example of how
IDbyDNA’s Explify Platform can support leaders in the field of
biological assay development to enhance their capability to deliver
highly accurate results,” said IDbyDNA’s CEO, Guochun Liao, Ph.D. “We
are constantly updating our databases to ensure we remain at the
forefront of metagenomics-based identification of viruses, bacteria,
fungi and parasites. We look forward to supporting ZeptoMetrix in
delivering easy-to-use, non-infectious, whole organism QC products that
provide accurate and consistent results.”

As part of the agreement, IDbyDNA will perform next generation
sequencing (RNA and/or DNA) and data analysis using the Explify Platform
on viral strains and bacterial isolates provided by ZeptoMetrix. IDbyDNA
will provide ZeptoMetrix with identification, genotyping information,
and genome sequences of reference strains and will assess the biological
purity of these materials.

About Explify
The Explify Platform simultaneously profiles
tens of thousands of microorganisms and pathogens in any sample to
deliver actionable information to healthcare providers. This turn-key
solution enables clinical laboratories to offer NGS-based metagenomics
testing for infectious disease. From sample preparation to report
delivery, the Explify Platform manages laboratory workflow, analyzes
metagenomics data, and provides applications for clinical review,
quality control and reporting. The Explify Platform offers clinical
laboratories a streamlined path to offering unbiased, NGS-based
Infectious Disease tests that are more comprehensive, and more accurate
than conventional tests. Explify metagenomics analysis is a proprietary
DNA search engine that analyzes tens of millions of Next-Generation
Sequencing reads within minutes to enable the detection of tens of
thousands of microorganisms. The proprietary Explify database includes
millions of curated DNA and RNA reference sequences and can identify
more than 50,000 microorganisms and over 3,000 known common and rare
pathogens.

About ZeptoMetrix
ZeptoMetrix Corporation (ZMC) is a
renowned industry leader and innovator identified with quality,
reliability and trusted products and services for infectious disease
diagnostic development. ZeptoMetrix is a fully integrated biotechnology
company whose offerings support all phases of research & development,
validation, manufacturing and commercialization of molecular diagnostic
assays. Founded in 1999, ZeptoMetrix is headquartered in Buffalo, NY
with additional facilities in Franklin, Massachusetts.

About IDbyDNA
IDbyDNA has developed transformative
metagenomics technology to simultaneously profile tens of thousands of
microorganisms and pathogens in any sample. Our turn-key
Explify Platform easily integrates into medical laboratories to deliver
actionable information to healthcare providers. Working with our global
partners, we are setting the standard for the identification and
understanding of microorganisms and their role in human health. www.idbydna.com

Contacts

IDbyDNA media contact
Shai Biran, Ph.D.
MacDougall
(781)
235-3060
[email protected]

ZeptoMetrix
media contact
Michael Hershfield, VP Sales & Marketing
508-553-5852
[email protected]