SEATTLE (March, 4, 2024) – Phase Genomics, Inc., a leading innovator at the forefront of genomics technology development, today announced $1.5MM in new funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fuel a new antimicrobial discovery platform. Leveraging the power of lysins, phage-derived proteins that selectively kill specific bacteria and archaea, the program aims to address two immediate threats that will shape the next century: a growing global antibiotic resistance crisis and the challenge of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The foundation of this effort rests on ..read more

  Decades of antibiotic use – and abuse – are triggering a global rise in antibiotic resistance and limiting the usefulness of these life-saving drugs. In a nod to the adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” a solution may lie with bacteria’s oldest adversary: phages, the viruses that prey upon them. Our team at Phase Genomics is harnessing groundbreaking new metagenomic data and AI to tap into the evolutionary innovations of phages – and to eradicate dangerous microbial pathogens with surgical precision.   The need could not be greater. Fewer new antibiotics are hitting the mar ..read more

  New genomic technology reveals the parental past of “ancient asexuals,” paving a route to crop engineering and soil remediation with symbiotic fungi   In a warming, crowded world, we need more help than ever from plants. But maximizing the bounty from crops — from food to fuel to fibers — means coaxing plants to draw minerals and nutrients from soil more effectively, and paying special heed to the tiny, often-overlooked fungi that make this possible. Plant roots have symbiotic relationships with fungi that stretch back eons. For example, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or AMF, have b ..read more

  Another year has flown by with great accomplishments and advancements from researchers around the world wielding the latest in proximity ligation technology. As the year draws to a close, we at Phase Genomics would like to highlight some of the milestones that have been crossed in 2023 before setting our sights on an even more promising new year.   Advancing Global Health Research and Beyond In 2022, supported by the Gates Foundation and NIAID, we set out to assemble a global-scale atlas of phage-bacteria interactions, discover looming antimicrobial resistance (AMR) biothreats, and ..read more

  $2.5M in funding from the National Cancer Institute and Andy Hill CARE Fund will accelerate Phase Genomics’ proprietary OncoTerra platform toward clinical use, unlocking new genome-wide cytogenetic insights for acute myeloid leukemia and colorectal cancer   Monday, August 7, 2023   SEATTLE– Phase Genomics, Inc. a leading developer of cutting-edge genomic solutions, today announced $2.5M in non-dilutive funding to extend its AI-driven OncoTerra platform from the research setting toward clinical care for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and colorectal cancer. The project is fueled b ..read more

Hydrothermal mat sampling aboard R/V Roger Revelle using ROV Jason. Credit: R/V Roger Revelle, Scripps institute of Oceanography.   For decades, biologists largely studied microbes and their viruses in isolation, nurtured in laboratory cultures. Yet, to paraphrase the poet John Donne, no microbe is an island. In recent years, scientists have recognized this by studying microbes not as individual species, but as part of the larger microbiome: the communal ecosystems, each home to many different types of bacteria and archaea, in which most microbes reside. It is in these realms that microbe ..read more

  With 2023 well under way, here is a quick glimpse into the rearview mirror of Phase Genomics in 2022.   Last year was an exciting one for those of us in the genomics space. Exploring genomic interactions and refining methods to assemble the most complete genomes, the biotech sphere reached new heights and researchers uncovered new discoveries of our biological world. The use of AI boomed this year as developers set out to unravel complex problems in both everyday life and life sciences. Wielding these tools, we made significant progress in understanding plant and animal genomes, vi ..read more

  During this Fall’s Genome Startup Day event, we welcomed researchers and entrepreneurs that have taken the plunge into commercializing their phage discoveries. John Eisen, PhD, UC Davis professor and renowned genomics and microbiology researcher, spoke with Ivan Liachko, PhD, Founder and CEO for Phase Genomics, for a candid and lively fireside chat on the current state of phage research and innovation followed by a panel discussion with startup founders Jessica Sacher, PhD, of Phage Directory, Nathan Brown, PhD, of Parallel Health and Minmin (Mimi) Yen, PhD, of PhagePro.     ..read more

  Genome sequencing has confirmed some long-held theories about the blueprints of life. But it has also unearthed quite a few surprises. Scientists once hypothesized that the human genome consisted of upward of 100,000 genes. The decades-long Human Genome Project — as well as many next-generation sequencing studies — have prompted the downward revision of that figure to a relatively spartan 20,000 genes, more or less.   Evolution in action   If there is a lesson in this vast overestimation to our gene load, it is perhaps that evolution shapes genomes in unexpected ways.   T ..read more

Stories from Startup Founders and an Insider’s Advice on SBIR Grants    Some of tomorrow’s biggest breakthroughs in cancer treatment are in the works today in startup labs across the US. On March 30th, we brought together CEOs and leaders in the cancer startup industry for a behind-the-scenes look at how emerging technologies are taking aim at one of the deadliest diseases in our world, and how these startup leaders are carving successful careers in the cancer tech landscape. Watch the replay of the event to hear their advice on deciding when to commercialize, how to scale up, and wh ..read more