SeqOne Genomics is expanding internationally
Becoming a global leader in personalized genomic medicine: that is the ambition of SeqOne Genomics, a designer and developer of genomic data analysis solutions. This goal has been made possible by a €20 million funding round secured by the startup.
The goal of personalized medicine is to understand the specific characteristics of a disease in order to provide better care for patients. This approach requires access to the“personal blueprint” that is each individual’s genome, as well as the ability to decipher and interpret the thousands of mutations scattered throughout our DNA sequences. This is where the startup SeqOne Genomics comes in, offering high-performance genomic data analysis solutions for personalized medicine. Its goal is to improve clinical care for patients with cancer and rare and hereditary diseases.
The company, founded in 2017 with support from SATT AxLR (see box), the University of Montpellier, and Inserm, has already won numerous awards, such as the iLab Prize and the Hélène Starck Prize —which recognizes young researchers supported by the ARC Foundation —and has established a strong position in the French market. A winning model for the company, which recently reached a new milestone on January 24 by raising €20 million to accelerate the deployment of genomic medicine, with an eye toward international expansion.
Change of scale
“We’re already established in half of France’s university hospitals and at four of the largest private facilities, so we’ve clearly demonstrated that our product works and meets a real market need,” says Jean-Marc Holder, SeqOne’s Head of Strategy and Innovation. The next step for the startup:“scaling the business.” This scaling up, made possible by this funding round, will unfold along three main lines.
“First, international expansion, ”explains Jean-Marc Holder. “In Europe to start with, and to that end, we’re going to double our workforce by the end of the year.” This expansion will grow the startup from 40 to 80 employees and will ,in particular ,allow the company to “establish a more extensive sales network across the region.” But SeqOne Genomics is thinking bigger and looking further ahead, with its sights set on the U.S. market.“A market that many people dream of entering but that requires thorough preparation.”
New treatments
Second area of development: investment in big data.“Or rather ‘fat data,’ given the sheer volume of data involved—thousands of mutations per patient, considering that each genome is equivalent to a 500-gigabyte hard drive, ”corrects Jean-Marc Holder. “This is one of the major challenges of personalized medicine, and it is SeqOne’s strength, having demonstrated an unparalleled ability to characterize genetic information.”A win-win form of personalization that allows patients to receive treatment more quickly, avoids potentially unnecessary and inappropriate treatments, and effectively saves the healthcare system money.
Finally, the third area of development is “the market for biopharmaceutical companies developing new therapies, ” says Jean-Marc Holder. The promise of more targeted treatments thanks to a better understanding of disease mechanisms is also what personalized medicine is all about.
SATT AxLR is a technology transfer acceleration company specializing in the development and commercialization of innovative projects stemming from public research. It works with most of the public research laboratories located in Eastern Occitanie, one of the most dynamic regions in France and Europe, home to nearly 200 laboratories and nearly 11,000 researchers and research staff. Since its creation, SATT AxLR has funded 167 innovation programs, invested €53.4 million, signed 138 technology transfer agreements with companies, and supported 107 startups.