Technology

Pleno’s novel Hypercoding technology provides groundbreaking improvements over existing genomics technologies, enabling multi-omic biomarkers to be detected at unprecedented speed, scale and cost.

HypercodingTM

Pleno has developed a groundbreaking new technology that combines advanced coding techniques from telecommunications with cutting-edge biochemistry, to deliver a giant leap forward in genomics. This technology, called Hypercoding, enables multi-omic (DNA, RNA, Methylation and Protein) targets to be detected at scale with throughput, cost and precision previously thought impossible. This is essential for the widespread adoption and democratization of clinical genomics and other high-throughput targeted applications. Current technologies like NGS, PCR and microarrays, are simply unable to address all of the requirements for this to happen.

HypercodingTM

Biomarker detection at unprecedented speed, scale and cost

How HypercodingTM Works
Panel Design
Pleno scientists will work with you to create a panel of biomarkers of interest. These can range in number from 10 to 10,000 and consist of SNPs, Indels, CNVs, Pseudogenes, Fusions, RNA, Methylation, and/or Proteins. Specific loci or target sequences are required.
Probe Design
Pleno scientists utilize our intelligent design tools to create cicularizable probes (that we call Plenoids) for each of the biomarker targets. Plenoids are DNA oligos that contain target recognition elements as well as a unique Hypercode that has been assigned to each biomarker target. Plenoid probes are then synthesized and become part of our Reagent and Consumable Kits.
Upfront Multi-omic Assay Workflow
Depending on your application, there will likely be an upfront lab workflow that goes from initial sample (blood, tissue, saliva, buccal, etc.) to extracted nucleic acid. This workflow could include steps like bisulfite conversion for methylation, or antibody capture for proteins.
Target Capture and Conversion
Using a standard 96-well plate, Plenoid probes are introduced into each well/sample and hybridize to corresponding nucleic acid target sequences. A high-fidelity ligase then circularizes Plenoids that have hybridized to targets and a subsequent cleanup step digests everything except for the circularized Plenoids. Targets have now been encoded/converted to Hypercodes.
Amplification and Object Generation
Circularized Pleniods are transferred to a detection well plate that has an optical glass bottom and immobilized on the bottom surface of each well. Sample isolation is maintained with typically one sample per well. Each Plenoid is then amplified in situ to generate detectable surface-bound objects.
Hypercode Detection
The detection well plate is transferred to the RAPTOR instrument and undergoes between 6 to 10 cycles of probing, imaging and washing as all segments of Hypercodes associated with each object are detected.
Hypercode Decoding
Raw images from the RAPTOR instrument are processed with information from over a million objects per well being fed into our advanced signal processing and decoding algorithms that have been derived from similar versions used in digital telecommunications.
Data/Result Output
Presence/absence as well as relative quantification for each biomarker target is reported out along with quality and performance metrics. Output file formats can be customized or simple VCFs.