, covering a method that enables simultaneous measurement of DNA methylation and genetic variation in individual cells.){kind=link}
BioSkryb Genomics has obtained an exclusive license to a patent co-owned by Stanford University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco (CZ Biohub SF), covering a method that enables simultaneous measurement of DNA methylation and genetic variation in individual cells. The approach, developed at Stanford, allows for high-resolution analysis of epigenetic state and genomic variation from the same cell while preserving DNA integrity through a non-destructive workflow.
The ability to capture both methylation patterns and genetic variants within single cells addresses a long-standing challenge in the field. Current single-cell methods typically force researchers to choose between profiling genetic alterations or epigenetic modifications, limiting the capacity to link these two layers of information. By retaining both readouts from the same cell, the licensed technology provides an opportunity to resolve questions of clonal evolution, therapy resistance, and rare-cell biology in contexts such as cancer progression and neurological disease.
“Customers have been clear: they want detailed insights on both methylation and variants from the same cell, without compromising sample integrity. This license addresses that need directly and enables solutions for researchers to track clonal evolution, therapy resistance, and precursor lesions with the confidence that only same-cell insights can provide. BioSkryb aims to bring this exclusively licensed capability to market as quickly and efficiently as possible, after rigorous validation”
Suresh Pisharody, Chief Executive Officer of BioSkryb Genomics
The company plans to integrate the technology into its single-cell multi-omic platform, enabling modular analyses of genetic variants, methylation, the transcriptome, and surface proteomics. This expansion aims to provide a unified workflow that can interrogate multiple molecular layers within the same cell, a long-sought capability in single-cell biology.
Beyond assay development, BioSkryb is investing in artificial intelligence and machine learning methods to help researchers interpret the complex datasets produced by multi-omic single-cell analyses. Such computational approaches are expected to facilitate the identification of novel biomarkers and clinically actionable features as datasets scale in size and dimensionality.
“At CZ Biohub SF, our mission is to accelerate discovery and responsibly translate breakthroughs for broad public benefit. Licensing this invented method to BioSkryb enables wider access to combined single-cell methylation and variant analysis, supporting researchers and, ultimately, patients.”
Melinda Griffith, Chief Operating Officer of the Biohub.