Keygene and Genalice extend their collaboration on big data for crop improvement

Recently, at the first day of the international Plant and Animal Genome XXV Conference in San Diego, the Crop Innovation Company KeyGene and genomic big data solutions company GENALICE, announced the continuation of their strategic partnership. Jointly the companies will stand unmatched in exploiting the tremendous value of genomics related big data analysis in crop innovation.

The KeyGene Vision – an expert’s perspective on agrigenomics & crop innovation

KeyGene supports its customers and partners with cutting edge molecular breeding technologies and plant trait platforms. For many important agronomical crops, KeyGene has elucidated their highly complex genomes. With its in-house Genome Analysis Platform for the processing of sequencing data, and its proprietary CropPediaTM interactive platform for big data integration, interpretation, and application, the company has brought crop genomics to a next level. These two platforms create the perfect view on exploitable genetic variation, enabling more efficient use of germplasm and elite breeding materials, and revealing the genetic basis of commercial traits.

In the partnership with GENALICE, KeyGene was the first company to benchmark GENALICE MAP on agronomic crops. Back in 2012, Prof. Dr. Roeland van Ham, VP Bioinformatics and Modeling at KeyGene, recognized, as one of the first experts in this field, the amazingly high short read alignment speed of GENALICE MAP. He implemented GENALICE MAP as KeyGene’s main NGS secondary analysis pipeline and added Population Calling functionality, which enables KeyGene to process and analyze large cohorts. The software suite currently enables KeyGene to process massive amounts of sequencing data with unparalleled speed and reliability, which is crucial in optimizing and accelerating the molecular breeding process. In the partnership, KeyGene will continue to jointly develop innovative views on genome variation data, and focus on the downstream exploitation of genome data in trait and crop development.”

Arjen van Tunen, CEO of KeyGene, comments: “GENALICE and KeyGene are strategically collaborating in a fruitful and mutually profitable way for several years already. I am very pleased with the extension of our partnership which enables both parties to benefit from the further development and use of multi-genome analysis software for AgroFood applications. This will be instrumental for the development of innovative crop varieties that meet future demands for healthy & high quality agricultural products.”

The GENALICE Vision – an expert’s perspective on high quality, high speed NGS data analysis solutions

Hans Karten, Chief Executive Officer/ Chief Technology Officer of GENALICE, says in a statement: “GENALICE and KeyGene have been collaborating in the space of NGS secondary analysis over the past three years. GENALICE is proud to have played a vital role in KeyGene’s ability to improve their genomic breeding strategies. The advantages of GENALICE MAP core functionality and its Population Calling module have enabled new business opportunities for KeyGene. We are very pleased that this fruitful collaboration is continued by this strategic partnership for the next three years. Again we join efforts in improving plant genomic data analysis and efficiency. The challenges in the food sector continue to increase with stricter health regulations and a fast growing population. This requires the ability to implement innovative approaches, which is a dominant gene in both our companies’ DNA profiles."