Bongcho Kim, CEOSince 2008, Macrogen Europe has been dedicated to serving genomics researchers in Europe and Africa. With its Sanger Sequencing and NGS facilities, the company ensures high-quality services and faster turnaround times, making genomics research accessible and efficient for researchers.
“Our high-capacity sequencing services are designed to manage time inefficiencies for researchers, as delays in projects are simply not an option,” says Bongcho Kim, CEO of Macrogen Europe.
Macrogen Europe’s well-equipped facilities are designed to meet the specific needs of researchers. Unlike other facilities that face limitations with sequencing runs, it can perform two runs per week for NovaSeqX, NovaSeq 6000, and MiSeq machines. This means it can efficiently process about 1500 extra samples weekly, generating a substantial 10 terabytes of valuable data. The ultimate goal is to empower researchers by delivering quick and reliable results, allowing them to accelerate their scientific endeavors.
Top-Notch Sequencing Services
Macrogen Europe’s primary focus is on providing top services to customers right from the start, even before the onset of any sequencing run. Its team of experts has extensive experience in lead consulting and project management, playing a vital role in this.
They are passionate about optimizing each run to extract the maximum value for customers. For them, every research project is unique, and achieving satisfactory results, particularly with samples of low DNA quantities, is paramount.
“Once we perform sample quality control, our experienced consultants discuss with our customers the appropriate library kit from a diverse range of offerings by leading providers. We always involve our customers in the decision-making process by considering their preferences. This approach allows us to tailor our solutions, offering the flexibility and efficiency needed to meet our customers' specific research goals,” says Kim.
Macrogen Europe takes great pride in offering clients complimentary consultation meetings. These meetings allow it to delve deep into the specific requirements of each project. Throughout the process, the consultants maintain open communication with clients, and closely monitor the progress of their projects.
“It's our way of taking full responsibility for our customers' satisfaction. Our dynamic team of bioinformatic and laboratory experts works in collaboration, sharing knowledge and experiences to tailor this quality threshold for each project,” says Kim.
Maintaining a High Internal Quality Threshold
Setting Macrogen Europe apart is its unwavering dedication to maintaining a high internal quality threshold.
Our passion for advancing in this field drives us to provide the best support to the scientific community. Our plan for the future is to enhance accessibility to customers by establishing countryspecific branches and extending our service application portfolio from Sanger Sequencing to NGS
“It's our way of taking full responsibility for our customers' satisfaction. Our dynamic team of bioinformatic and laboratory experts works in collaboration, sharing knowledge and experiences to tailor this quality threshold for each project,” says Kim.
This means setting rigorous internal quality standards, even before performing specific bioinformatic analysis. At any point during the process, if the company finds that the required level of quality hasn't been met, it takes immediate action to fix it. Resequencing is conducted as many times as needed until the desired quality is achieved.
For instance, during a project from the Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB) in Munich, Germany, Macrogen Europe faced the challenge of processing mitochondrial DNA from 1920. After the quality check, it determined that the amount of DNA register was extremely low (~1 ng). Using its internal workflows and the correct library kit for low DNA input, the company was able to provide comprehensive data, which enabled the client to publish its study.
In another example, bioinformatic company Sequentia needed regular data to ensure a frictionless flow of services. Macrogen Europe processed 200 samples a week for whole exome sequencing (around 10,000 samples a year), and, thanks to its bioinformatic in-house, the company delivered data every 18 calendar days. It continued to ensure that Sequentia received data in a timely manner to not interrupt their activities.
Dedicated to Improving Sequencing Capabilities
Macrogen Europe has strategically invested in the latest technologies, like the NovaSeq X platform from Illumina, to handle large-scale sequencing projects with high throughput. It also stays up to date with upgrades for its in-house sequencers, such as the latest laser for its Thermo Fisher 3730xl DNA analyzers. This improves accuracy for genotyping and resequencing solutions.
"We are currently in the process of incorporating automation within our laboratory operations with the intent of optimizing workflows and procedures," says Kim. "While we firmly acknowledge the indispensable role of human expertise in upholding our elevated standards, the objective is to seamlessly integrate automation to alleviate the burden on our workforce and expedite project throughput, all the while upholding unwavering quality and precision."
Macrogen Europe’s capabilities are complemented by its employee-focused culture. The company makes its employees feel valued and accelerates their professional development. Hiring young talent is one of its practices. Under the supervision of the most experienced employee, newer employees guide customers through their projects. Allowing the less experienced to communicate directly with customers accelerates the learning process and professional development, translating into more engaging and satisfactory customer service.
The Master Plan: Ultimate Domination
To further up its ante, the company recently introduced a new service, Whole Plasmid Sequencing, which utilizes Oxford Nanopore Technology. With its online platform, clients can easily submit their samples for processing from the comfort of their own labs and receive reports in just a few days.
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Our high-capacity sequencing services are designed to manage time inefficiencies for researchers, as delays in projects are simply not an option
Macrogen Europe’s capabilities are complemented by its employee-focused culture. The company makes its employees feel valued and accelerates their professional development. Hiring young talent is one of its practices. Under the supervision of the most experienced employee, newer employees guide customers through their projects. Allowing the less experienced to communicate directly with customers accelerates the learning process and professional development, translating into more engaging and satisfactory customer service.
The Master Plan: Ultimate Domination
Macrogen Europe is expanding across Europe, with labs in France, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. It plans to build an international and diverse team. The goal is to get closer to customers and serve them holistically.
“Our passion for advancing in this field drives us to provide the best support to the scientific community. Our plan for the future is to enhance accessibility to customers by establishing country-specific branches and extending our service application portfolio from Sanger Sequencing to NGS,” says Kim.
Part of Macrogen Europe’s plan is to establish a bioinformatics research center, creating a genomics database and offering optimal solutions to researchers who wish to use it. With this project, it aims to build a foundation for the utilization of genetic information in personalized diagnostics and treatments in the field of clinical genomics, enabling the construction of genetic big data for research purposes.
