Verici Dx enters collaboration with Nasdaq-listed Illumina

Organ transplant clinical diagnosis developer Verici Dx announced a collaboration with Nasdaq-listed Illumina on Wednesday, to expedite the operational launch of data analysis processing and the predictive artificial intelligence component of its products using early access to Illumina’s new software platform ICA.

The AIM-traded firm said the platform was designed for “operationalised secondary analysis” with an advanced data science environment.

Verici said its underlying technology was based on artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted transcriptomic analysis of proprietary RNA signatures, focussed on the immune response and other biological pathway signals critical for the transplant prognosis of risk of injury, resulting in rejection and graft failure beginning pre-transplant and following to late-stage.

ICA would provide Verici with the ability to process large datasets, allowing for AI-enabled RNA signature testing to be clinically available at a more robust level than previously possible.

The company said ICA would also enable it to build custom workflows in a secure and compliant environment.

With streamlined querying of large data sets, ICA would support Verici’s technology and provide a framework for future data science discovery.

ICA allows the integration of Illumina sequencers and software in a cloud-based environment, the board explained, and is accessible globally, enabling further expansion and collaboration opportunities for Verici.

Having access to the platform would provide a “substantial enhancement” to Verici’s data management and interrogation capabilities, and bolster its ability to develop “highly-predictive” future products.

It would also enable Verici to stay at the forefront of improving patient outcomes, the directors claimed.

“We are delighted to announce the successful operational launch of the Verici Dx data analysis processing and predictive artificial intelligence components of our clinical products as inaugural users of Illumina's new ICA platform,” said chief executive officer Sara Barrington.

“Our leading-edge science depends on the ability to process vast amounts of data into meaningful and interpretable segments, and we believe there is no better tool to support us in this than ICA.

“We are very proud to be an early-access user of this tool in the commercial space from a world-class provider and leader in servicing the global sequencing market.”

Barrington said the milestone represented a “key step” in the readiness of both the near-term launches of Verici’s flagship ‘Clarava’ and ‘Tuteva’ products, as well as the long-term strategy for building the computational data analytics tools that would power Verici’s data science.

“We look forward to updating the market with our further progress towards commercialization in due course.”

At 1206 GMT, shares in Verici Dx were down 4.4% at 54.49p.