DNA Genotek Inc. Appoints Microbiome Data Scientist as Advisor
Dan Knights, PhD, Brings Deep Experience in Microbiome Analysis and Biomarker Discovery
OTTAWA, ON, December 8, 2015. DNA Genotek, a leading provider of sample collection kits and end-to-end services for human genomics, microbiome and infectious disease, today announced Dan Knights, PhD – an expert in machine learning and microbiome analysis – as a scientific advisor to the company.
Dr. Dan Knights is a computational microbiologist and a leading authority in the application of machine learning to discovering linkages between the microbiome, environment, and human disease. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Biotechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Knights received his PhD from the University of Colorado under Rob Knight, followed by post-doctoral fellowships at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard with gastroenterologist Ramnik Xavier.
“The next generation of microbiome discoveries will require precise algorithms for measuring biomarkers and building predictive models. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with DNA Genotek to help develop these capabilities,” said Dr. Dan Knights, PhD.
“Dr. Knights and DNA Genotek share a common goal of developing robust tools and reproducible methodologies for biomarker discovery at scale,” said Aaron Del Duca, Vice President of Technology at DNA Genotek Inc. “His contributions to the Human Microbiome Project, as well as his experience mining massive microbiome data sets to predict disease will be invaluable as we integrate our OMNIgene® collection products into our Microbiome-on-Demand™ analysis services. We are very pleased to welcome him as a scientific advisor to our company and look forward to his guidance.”
About DNA Genotek
DNA Genotek Inc., a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), focuses on sample collection kits and end-to-end services for human genomics, microbiome and infectious disease. The company’s Oragene®.Dx product line is the only U.S. FDA 510(k) cleared saliva-based collection kit for in vitro diagnostic use. DNA Genotek also offers Research Use Only products to collect and preserve large amounts of DNA or RNA from multiple sample types for use with humans, animals or livestock. The reliability and ease-of-use of the company’s products have resulted in rapid adoption at top-tier health research institutions globally, including Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, and Johns Hopkins. DNA Genotek markets its products worldwide and has a global customer base with thousands of customers in over 100 countries. For more information about DNA Genotek, visit www.dnagenotek.com
For information about this press release contact:
Shauna White
DNA Genotek Inc.
613-723-5757 ext. 307
shauna.white@dnagenotek.com
® OMNIgene and Oragene are registered trademarks and Microbiome-on-Demand is a trademark of DNA Genotek Inc. All other brands and names contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Some DNA Genotek products may not be available in all geographic regions.
