{"id":225118,"date":"2025-05-19T16:45:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T08:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/?post_type=press&p=225118"},"modified":"2025-05-19T16:45:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T08:45:39","slug":"cuhk-and-novostics-license-groundbreaking-epigenetic-technology-to-pacbio-accelerating-global-research-in-precision-medicine","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk\/en\/press\/cuhk-and-novostics-license-groundbreaking-epigenetic-technology-to-pacbio-accelerating-global-research-in-precision-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"CUHK and Novostics license groundbreaking epigenetic technology to PacBio Accelerating global research in precision medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-225118","press","type-press","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"title_alt":"CUHK and Novostics license groundbreaking epigenetic technology to PacBio\r\nAccelerating global research in precision medicine","sub_title_alt":"","press_date":"20250519","keep":false,"details":"

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and its affiliated InnoHK Centre for Novostics (Novostics) have recently announced a landmark licensing agreement with Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), a global leader in genomic sequencing, for their groundbreaking epigenetic detection technology, the Holistic Kinetic Model 2 (HK2). Developed by Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming<\/strong>, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President, as well as Scientific Director of Centre for Novostics, and his team, HK2 will be integrated into PacBio\u2019s HiFi sequencing systems, empowering researchers worldwide to decode DNA methylation with unprecedented precision \u2013 without damaging DNA.<\/p>\r\n

Unlocking the epigenome\u2019s secrets with AI innovation
\r\n<\/strong>
\r\nDNA methylation, a process that regulates gene activity by adding chemical tags to DNA, plays a pivotal role in health and disease. Aberrant methylation patterns are linked to cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and other conditions, making their detection critical to advancing diagnostics and therapies. Traditional DNA methylation detection technology relies on chemical treatments (bisulfite conversion) that significantly degrade DNA, compromising detection accuracy. HK2 overcomes this by leveraging AI and deep learning algorithms \u2013 originally designed for image recognition\u2014to analyse subtle and disordered structural signal changes in DNA sequencing. This non-destructive approach achieves a 99% correlation with conventional bisulphite sequencing while preserving DNA integrity, enabling accurate detection of methylation marks includes 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC).<\/p>\r\n

A leap forward for research and clinical applications
\r\n<\/strong>
\r\nHK2\u2019s integration into PacBio\u2019s Revio and Vega sequencing platforms via seamless software updates will equip researchers with tools to explore novel epigenetic signals, such as hemimethylation, and study tissue-specific methylation patterns in diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s and cancer. Institutions such as Children\u2019s Mercy Kansas City and GeneDx are already utilising PacBio\u2019s HiFi sequencing to investigate epigenomic applications in neonatal care and rare disease diagnosis. With HK2, researchers can accelerate discoveries in precision medicine without additional costs or workflow disruptions.<\/p>\r\n

Professor Lo said: \u201cThis collaboration underscores CUHK\u2019s mission to transform cutting-edge research into global impact. By combining HK2 with PacBio\u2019s HiFi sequencing, we are providing the scientific community with a powerful lens to unravel the epigenome\u2019s role in health and disease at unmatched resolution. This partnership exemplifies how innovation bridges the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and real-world patient benefits.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Global deployment for widespread impact
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\r\n<\/strong>PacBio\u2019s adoption of HK2 reinforces CUHK\u2019s leadership in life sciences and positions the technology at the forefront of next-generation sequencing. The global rollout ensures researchers and clinicians can access high-resolution methylation data to refine diagnostics, uncover disease mechanisms, and pioneer targeted therapies.<\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

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