M2Gen Selects DNAnexus To Manage Molecular Data For ORIEN Avatar Research Program

Unique collaboration with cancer centers, pharmaceutical companies and patients to participate in a network of patient genetic and clinical information for advancing cancer research

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DNAnexus Inc., the global leader in genome informatics and data management, today announced that M2Gen, a healthcare informatics solutions company, has adopted the company’s cloud translational science platform to support molecular data access, management, collaboration, and analysis for the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network^® (ORIEN) Avatar Research Program. This initiative unites academic cancer centers and pharmaceutical companies in pursuit of shared translational oncology goals: the development of more precise cancer treatments for patients.

“We selected DNAnexus for their expertise in consortia-scale data management solutions and their Platform’s best-in-class security and compliance.”

“The ORIEN Avatar™ Research Program brings together the key stakeholders, including patients, within the healthcare community,” said William S. Dalton, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of M2Gen. “We selected DNAnexus for their expertise in consortia-scale data management solutions and their Platform’s best-in-class security and compliance.”

“We are proud to serve as the data nexus for the ORIEN Avatar Research Program,” said Richard Daly, CEO of DNAnexus. “By relying on DNAnexus’ proven technology platform to securely manage molecular data from consented patients, M2Gen can focus on growing its program membership and finding new treatments for patients battling cancer.”

The ORIEN Avatar Research Program provides a secure and innovative collaborative environment linking pharmaceutical companies, including Takeda and Celgene, and prominent cancer centers, including co-founders Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. Participating cancer researchers contribute samples and disease information from consenting, participating patients, and receive rich molecular data plus access to a rich network of potential collaborators. Pharmaceutical companies contribute financial support, and receive access to deidentified genetic and disease information that can be used to inform the discovery and clinical development of novel cancer therapeutics.

By enabling hundreds of researchers to share, integrate, and analyze an extensive amount of genetic data, The DNAnexus Platform will support, in a secure and scalable fashion, the profoundly important translational mission of the ORIEN Avatar Research Program.

About DNAnexus

DNAnexus combines expertise in cloud computing and bioinformatics to create the global network for genomics, operating in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (including China), South America, and Africa. The secure, scalable, and collaborative cloud-based DNAnexus Platform helps thousands of researchers across a spectrum of industries – biopharmaceutical, bioagricultural, sequencing services, clinical diagnostics, government, and research consortia – accelerate their genomics programs globally. For more information on DNAnexus, please visit www.dnanexus.com or follow the company @DNAnexus.

About M2Gen

M2Gen^® is a health informatics solutions company focused on accelerating the discovery and development of personalized medicines. M2Gen partners with the nation’s leading cancer centers through ORIEN to create a large, cancer-focused data warehouse linking clinical and molecular data. Using this information, M2Gen helps biopharmaceutical companies address the greatest challenges in oncology drug development. For more information, visit www.m2gen.com.

About ORIEN

The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network^® (ORIEN) is a national research partnership among several leading U.S. cancer centers that have joined together in an unprecedented collaboration to study, treat and ultimately cure cancer. Founded in 2014 by Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. and The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio, ORIEN is based on a model of cooperation, coordination, and efficiency in cancer research. This first-of-its-kind effort has led to the construction of the world’s largest cancer database, with more than 140,000 patients committing to lifetime study through ORIEN’s Total Cancer Care Protocol. Through this specialized, innovative approach to personalized medicine, researchers can better understand the disease and work in concert towards new developments and discovery in cancer care. For more information, visit www.oriencancer.org.