Diversigen Inc. Selected by Nom Nom™ as the Preferred Provider for Metagenomics and Microbiome Sequencing and Analysis Services

ST. PAUL, Minn. and OAKLAND, Calif., May 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diversigen, Inc., a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), and Nom Nom™, a direct-to-consumer pet health brand, today announced that Nom Nom has selected Diversigen as their preferred provider for metagenomics and microbiome sequencing and analysis services. Diversigen will also serve as Nom Nom’s central lab for the generation of high quality microbiome data.

Nom Nom is dedicated to research and data analysis to enable continued improvement of the health of all pets. The company has published multiple peer-reviewed studies on the pet microbiome (“gut health”) including one of the largest pet microbiome studies to date in which scientists analyzed and characterized the bacteria living in the guts of 238 pets in an effort to better understand how these microbes affect pet health. Ongoing efforts are aimed at evaluating the intersection of nutrition, microbiome, and common clinical conditions such as allergic diseases and obesity in pets.

“The personalization of diet and synbiotic recommendations for pets is the next frontier in companion animal nutrition, and the microbiome should provide insights on individualized responses to diet and a possible opportunity to influence and monitor pet health. This collaboration accelerates advancement of the science of the pet microbiome,” said Justin Shmalberg DVM, DACVN, DACVSMR, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist™ and Chief Nutrition Officer of Nom Nom.

The selection of Diversigen will allow Nom Nom to take advantage of Diversigen’s science-driven high quality CLIA customized solutions for metagenomics sequencing, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis for the study of the microbiome. Diversigen has a strong track record of supporting microbiome-focused clinical trials for big pharma customers, as well as thought-leading microbiome-focused biotech companies. In addition, Diversigen offers unparalleled scientific bench strength to define and meet the evolving microbiome arena with experts representing over a century of microbiome experience, over 300 scientific publications with more than 100,000 citations.

“The cutting-edge shotgun metagenomic sequencing solutions that Diversigen has developed provide us with amazing resolution to advance pet health and increase our understanding of the role that the microbiome plays in a wide variety of health concerns,” said Ryan Honaker, PhD, Director of Microbiology at Nom Nom.

“The microbiome field is enormously complex,” said Joy Nassif, Vice-President, Services at Diversigen Inc. “It is critical to have strong, scientifically-validated methods to understand the dynamics of the microbiome. With the use of Diversigen’s science-driven solutions for metagenomics sequencing and analysis, we’ve seen first-hand how to rapidly advance our understanding of the microbiome of pets. Nom Nom is one of the leading direct-to-consumer pet health brands, and we are excited to work with them to help understand the microbes living in the guts of pets and how microbes affect pet health.”

About Diversigen Inc.
Diversigen, Inc. is a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies Inc. Diversigen and CoreBiome came together to create one company that is powering microbiome discovery through sequencing, analysis, and consulting services geared toward the study of the microbiome of living organisms and environments. Diversigen provides consultative end-to-end solutions for sequencing, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis for the study of the microbiome of living organisms and environments. Diversigen, Inc. operates a state-of-the-art CLIA accredited laboratory deploying a variety of techniques to extract high quality nucleic acids from a multitude of sample types for subsequent metagenomics analysis. Diversigen’s flexible sequencing and computing capacity, combined with ongoing improvements in analytic tools and their applications, allows for customized project-specific strategies. For more information, visit www.diversigen.com or contact info@diversigen.com.

About OraSure Technologies

OraSure Technologies empowers the global community to improve health and wellness by providing access to accurate, essential information. Together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, DNA Genotek, Diversigen, Core Biome (now operating under the Diversigen brand) and Novosanis, OraSure provides its customers with end-to-end solutions that encompass tools, services and diagnostics. The OraSure family of companies is a leader in the development, manufacture, and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests, sample collection and stabilization devices, and molecular services solutions designed to discover and detect critical medical conditions. OraSure’s portfolio of products is sold globally to clinical laboratories, hospitals, physician’s offices, clinics, public health and community-based organizations, research institutions, government agencies, pharma, commercial entities and direct to consumers.

For more information on OraSure Technologies, please visit www.orasure.com.

About Nom Nom™
Currently delivering over a million pre-portioned meals to dog- and cat- friendly homes each month, Nom Nom is more than a pet food company. Founded in the SF Bay Area in 2015, the brand employs a board certified veterinary nutritionist and doctor of veterinary medicine, six science and R&D specialists (with PhDs, no less) and over 175 passionate pet lovers from CA to TN. They home-deliver meals for dogs and cats made with the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, prepared weekly in the company's own kitchen facilities, tailored to meet the specific nutrition needs of each pet. But Nom Nom is more than just a pet food company. Nom Nom is a pet health pioneer poised to disrupt the pet health industry backed by science and research into the microbiome of dogs and cats.  For more information, visit www.nomnomnow.com or contact press@nomnomnow.com.

Source: OraSure Technologies, Inc.