biomodal, an omics-based life sciences technology and analytics company, today announced it has filed a lawsuit against New England Biolabs (“NEB”) in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit seeks damages and a court order to stop NEB from making, using, selling, or offering for sale all NEBNext® Enzymatic 5hmC-seq products, and NEBNext® Enzymatic Methyl-seq products in clinical markets, or otherwise infringing on patents exclusively licensed by biomodal from Boston Children’s Hospital through Children’s Medical Center Corporation (“CMCC”), as outlined in the complaint.

biomodal is the exclusive licensee to patents invented by Professor Anjana Rao et al., relating to inter alia uses of ten eleven translocation (TET) enzymes in methods to detect methylation and/or hydroxymethylation, as well as all uses of DNA beta-glucosyltransferase (BGT) enzymes in methods to detect methylation and/or hydroxymethylation. The 8 patents asserted are U.S. Patent Nos. 10,337,053 B2; 10,443,091 B2; 10,533,213 B2; 10,731,204 B2; 10,774,373 B2; 10,767,216 B2; 11,072,818 B2; and 11,208,683 B2.

biomodal utilizes the patented ’Rao’ technology in its duet multiomics solution evoC, a 6-base genome technology that combines genetic and epigenetic information to provide single-base-resolution sequencing data that reveals standard four-base sequencing (A, C, G, and T) and distinguishes between 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), on the same DNA molecule. The Rao technologies also underlie biomodal’s duet multiomics solution +modC, which delivers genetic and epigenetic methylation at single base resolution to provide a 5-base genome.

"biomodal has made significant investments to bring our novel duet platform to market through both our duet evoC and +modC offerings. Built on the original ideas of our Scientific Advisory Board member, Anjana Rao, and her collaborators, we have integrated assay and software into a comprehensive solution which enables unparalleled insight into biological systems through the dynamic interplay of genetics and epigenetics," said Peter Fromen, CEO of biomodal. "As a company with innovation at its core, we strongly believe in the role of intellectual property in our industry, and we will act vigorously to protect our IP rights and our customers’ ability to apply differentiated solutions that deliver best-in-class results."

biomodal’s growing patent portfolio currently includes more than 25 U.S. and over 40 internationally issued patents, with more than 75 patent applications pending worldwide.