Haplomic Technologies (HT) is pioneering a proprietary technology that enables the isolation and sequencing of individual chromosomes from a single cell, unlocking the ability to determine unambiguous haplotypes (genetic phase). This innovation holds significant promise for clinical medicine and a wide range of other applications. The technology is the culmination of 30 years of intellectual collaboration by Mr. Geoff Swanson, Dr Brian Tait and the late Dr Malcolm Simons.
To support the development of their prototype instrument, HT has partnered with leading organizations: Planet Innovation for instrument development, SCHOTT MINIFAB for the design of the microfluidic cartridge, and Silverpond for advanced software development.
“The project is a collaborative one involving Haplomic Technologies , SCHOTT MINIFAB, Planet Innovation, Silverpond and Adelaide University who supports the sequencing program, run by Dr. Melinda Jasper. The single chromosome sequencing technology has the potential to save many lives in unrelated bone marrow transplantation by the avoidance of severe graft versus host disease. It also has the potential to save lives in many other areas of clinical medicine,” said Dr Brian Tait, Chief Scientific Officer at Haplomic Technologies.
“At Planet Innovation, we’re proud to support Haplomic Technologies as they pioneer a world-first capability to isolate and sequence individual chromosomes from a single cell. This groundbreaking advancement has the potential to transform clinical medicine and accelerate the future of truly personalized healthcare. It’s a privilege to collaborate with a team pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in genomics,” commented Nathan Ray, Strategic Partner at Planet Innovation.
“The technology we have developed with HT has pushed this boundary further than has ever been done before – having access to isolated cellular components from single cells for next generation sequencing assessment will unlock a new frontier in clinical applications,” explains Ken Rusterholz, Head of Product Development & Design at SCHOTT MINIFAB.
Haplomic microfluidic cartridge for the isolation of single chromosomes
The prototype automates the workflow to isolate and collect individual chromosomes from a single cell that is compatible with downstream sequencing technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), enabling precise genetic phasing without the need for family studies; critical for understanding genetic inheritance and its implications in personalized medicine.
One of the earliest clinical applications of HT technology is in HLA haplotype matching for unrelated donor/recipient pairs in bone marrow transplantation. By providing high-resolution haplotyping across HLA loci, the technology significantly reduces the risk and severity of graft-versus-host disease compared to conventional matching methods.
With over 43 million registered donors worldwide, the vast majority of whom are not haplotyped, there is a growing need for accurate and scalable solutions to improve patient outcomes. Currently, no existing technology can reproducibly provide genetic phase information across 3 megabases of DNA, a gap Haplomic aims to fill.
Beyond transplantation, Haplomic’s automated workflow holds potential in multiple clinical and research areas, including: drug metabolism, cancer genetics and checkpoint inhibitors, complex multigenic diseases including autoimmune diseases and animal genetics.
