Bertis and Rokit Genomics Sign MoU for Collaboration

on Proteomics and Genomics Analysis Services

-    Collaborating on single-cell proteomics and genomics analysis services to provide single-cell multi-omics analysis services and advance joint technology development

 <Photo: Bertis CEO Seung-man Han (left) and Rokit Genomics CEO Tae-woo Kwon commemorate the signing of the MoU.>

On August 26th, Bertis, a company specializing in the development of proteomics-based precision medicine technology (led by CEOs Dong-young Noh and Seung-man Han), announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rokit Genomics, a single-cell analysis company (led by CEOs Tae-woo Kwon and Yoon-Ki Gil).

Under this MoU, Bertis and Rokit Genomics plan to collaborate on the development and marketing of proteomics and genomics analysis services based on their expertise in single-cell analysis technology. They also will work together on future joint technology development.

Single-cell analysis is a technique that distinguishes biological characteristics at the level of individual cells. It enables high-sensitivity and high-resolution analysis of rare cells or low-expressed genomics and proteomics. This method is utilized in various research fields including cancer, Alzheimer's, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. The single-cell analysis market is expected to grow significantly, reaching approximately 19 trillion KRW globally by 2030.

Single-cell proteomics analysis is a technology that qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins at the single-cell level. This technique allows detailed analysis of disease-specific proteins, minimizing the loss of cellular diversity information that can occur in tissue or cultured cell analyses. This technology is expected to advance the application of precision medicine through cell-specific analysis. Bertis, which has secured the technology to analyze the proteome of trace samples through next-generation mass spectrometry technology, offers single-cell proteomics analysis of over 5,000 proteins and has launched Korea's first single-cell proteome profiling service based on this cutting-edge technology.

Rokit Genomics provides customer-specific analysis services using single-cell genomics sequencing. Rokit Genomics focuses on cell heterogeneity, rare cells, cell lineage relationships, and biomarker discovery by analyzing genomic data collected from individual cells. Leveraging extensive experience with samples from human tissues to plants and animals, Rokit Genomics performs analyses across requests.

Kwon Tae-woo, the CEO of Rokit Genomics, stated, “With the rise of genomics and proteomics technologies, there is an increasing demand for combined analytical methods in drug discovery and candidate development. Our collaboration with Bertis, which possesses expertise in proteomics analysis, will be a milestone in expanding Rokit Genomics' multi-omics analysis capabilities. We expect to lead the popularization of single-cell analysis through advanced customer-specific consulting.”

Seung-man Han, the CEO of Bertis, emphasized, “As a leader in proteomics technology, we have equipped ourselves with the latest equipment and expertise to offer single-cell proteomics technology to domestic researchers. Through this service collaboration with Rokit Genomics, a pioneer in single-cell sequencing, we hope to raise awareness of single-cell proteomics analysis among bioindustry and academic researchers and to expand our collaborative technology development.”

Furthermore, Bertis’ omics analysis solution, PASS (Pan-omics Analysis Service & Solution), provides customized proteomics analysis solutions for biomarker discovery, validation, drug research and development, and production based on client’s needs. The service caters to a range of clients, including biotech and CDMO enterprises developing new modality drugs, and has completed 103 projects for 54 clients as of July 2024, driven by satisfaction with data quality and customized consulting.