Bionano Genomics announces publication outlining utility of OGM

Bionano Genomics (BNGO) announced the publication in Blood Cancer Journal by a group of researchers at the Korea College of Medicine in South Korea showing that optical genome mapping can resolve rearrangements in the MYC gene in multiple myeloma, which represent highly actionable biomarkers in cancer. MM accounts for 1.3% of all malignancies and 12% of all hematologic cancers. Among the hallmark genetic abnormalities in MM are rearrangements involving the MYC gene, a potent oncogene which encodes a protein that functions as a transcriptional regulator. The release of compelling data in MM underscores the potential for wider adoption and use of OGM across all blood cancers as an alternative to traditional methods like karyotyping and fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Key findings: OGM performed better than conventional cytogenetics: Using OGM, the results were MYC-positive in 40% of cases, while positive rate was 26% and 13% using FISH and karyotype, respectively. Karyotyping can fail to identify MYC rearrangements and cannot resolve its translocation partners, which is a critical component in the stratification of the disease for prognosis and management. Complementary to other molecular techniques: OGM provides a complementary approach by revealing large structural variations that may be missed by methods like next-generation sequencing. A comprehensive view of genome variation can provide a more complete understanding of the drivers of multiple myeloma, which could lead to advancements of precision medicine. Streamlined Workflow and Cost Efficiency: The study also highlights the efficiency of OGM compared to traditional cytogenetics, which can be time consuming and laborious. OGM can reduce the need for sequential analysis such as karyotyping, followed by multiple rounds of FISH analysis. OGM can provide the same information and more in a single assay versus the tiered assays, and shorten the time to accurate classification and stratification of blood cancers, including MM.