NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Sunquest Information System said today that it has acquired laboratory information management systems vendor UniConnect for an undisclosed sum.
According to Sunquest, the acquisition will help it to develop an end-to-end solution for molecular and genetic testing. UniConnect's technology will augment Sunquest's existing solutions for molecular diagnostics including the GeneInsight solution, which streamlines the analysis, interpretation, and reporting of complex genetic tests. Sunquest purchased GeneInsight from its parent company Partners Healthcare earlier this year. Last month, Sunquest launched VariantWire, a genomic data sharing program that is supported by GeneInsight.
"While working with our mutual customer MedComp Sciences, we realized that the integration of GeneInsight and UniConnect's process management software created tremendous workflow efficiencies for molecular pathology laboratories" and reduced "the barrier of entry for labs seeking to offer cutting-edge molecular tests," said GeneInsight General Manager Chris Callahan in a statement.
Together, these solutions offer a complete molecular and genetics platform that manages the sequencing workflow from instrument through to EMR including sample management, bioinformatics analysis, and report management. At MedComp, "patient data and NGS results now move easily and intuitively between the platforms," Jason Walker lead geneticist/technical supervisor for MedCompGx, said. "The fit could not have been better and the integration works beautifully."
UniConnect markets software products built on UniFlow, its proprietary laboratory process management technology. Products built on the UniFlow platform include Precision Molecular Diagnostics (PrecisionMDx), which provides specific capabilities for supporting molecular diagnostic laboratories. The PrecisionMDx solution is part of the informatics infrastructure used by Newborn Screening Ontario to support its newborn screening program.
"We are both proud and excited to join Sunquest and extend our contribution in the realms of molecular laboratory automation and process management," UniConnect Founder and CEO William Harten said. "By working together, we'll be able deliver a complete automation solution that helps more molecular labs manage their increasingly large and complex workloads."