Bringing World-Class NGS Technology to the UK & Ireland: Biosecure ID Partners with Paragon Genomics

At Biosecure ID, our mission is to give forensic and applied genomics laboratories access to the very best tools available — without the friction, complexity, or cost barriers that have historically kept cutting-edge technology out of reach for UK and Irish labs. That's why I'm delighted to announce our distribution partnership with Paragon Genomics, one of the most innovative NGS library preparation companies in the world, and the team behind the remarkable CleanPlex® amplicon sequencing platform.

Who is Paragon Genomics?

Founded in Fremont, California, Paragon Genomics has spent the better part of a decade solving one of the most persistent problems in targeted sequencing: the trade-off between multiplexing scale and data quality. Their answer is CleanPlex® — a patented amplicon-based NGS technology that combines an advanced multiplex PCR primer design algorithm with a proprietary background cleaning chemistry that biochemically removes non-specific PCR products before they ever reach your sequencer.

The result is a platform that consistently delivers greater than 96% on-target rates and coverage uniformity — across panels ranging from 15 amplicons all the way to more than 20,000 amplicons per pool. Over 300 organisations worldwide have adopted CleanPlex for their targeted sequencing programmes, with more than 1,600 custom panels delivered to over 500 NGS laboratories globally.

Why This Partnership Matters

As Biosecure ID has expanded its portfolio beyond forensic sample collection and preparation into the broader applied genomics workflow, it became clear that UK and Irish researchers and laboratories needed a better route to access best-in-class targeted sequencing kits. Import delays, fragmented support, and the absence of a local bioinformatics service layer have all made NGS adoption harder than it should be.

Our partnership with Paragon Genomics addresses all three of those friction points in one go. We are now the exclusive UK & Ireland distributor of the full CleanPlex® portfolio — and we wrap every order with local technical support, bioinformatics services through our AGOSS platform, and project-based sample processing for customers who need end-to-end assistance.

The Science Behind CleanPlex®

What makes CleanPlex genuinely different from conventional amplicon sequencing or hybrid capture is the patented three-step single-tube workflow. In just 75 minutes of hands-on time and three hours total, a researcher goes from purified DNA to a sequencing-ready indexed library — without the sample loss, kit complexity, or cost that accompany hybrid capture approaches.

The platform is genuinely platform-agnostic — compatible with Illumina, Ion Torrent, and DNBSEQ sequencers — and works with input DNA as low as 1 ng, or even 6 pg from a single circulating tumour cell. For laboratories that need to push sensitivity further, the CleanPlex UMI variant incorporates duplex Unique Molecular Identifiers into the same three-step protocol, enabling error correction and PCR duplicate removal to push detection limits to 0.1% minor allele frequency.

A Portfolio Built for Real-World Research

Through Biosecure ID, UK and Irish laboratories now have direct access to the full CleanPlex® ready-to-use panel range. Highlights include:

Beyond the ready-to-use catalogue, we can also manage bespoke panel design through Paragon's ParagonDesigner™ online tool — from design brief through to a delivered, validated custom kit in approximately four weeks. Custom panels can range from seven amplicons for a focused single-gene assay up to panels exceeding 20,000 amplicons for TMB profiling or large-scale genomic programmes.

The Next Step for Applied Genomics in the UK

At Biosecure ID we talk a lot about democratising advanced genomics tools — giving research and applied genomics laboratories access to the kind of performance that was previously only available to well-funded academic medical centres or multinational diagnostic companies. The Paragon Genomics partnership is a concrete expression of that commitment.

Whether you are setting up an oncology sequencing programme, evaluating pharmacogenomics for precision medicine, designing a bespoke surveillance panel, or simply looking for a faster and more cost-effective route from sample to data — CleanPlex® through Biosecure ID is the most complete solution available in the UK and Ireland today.

We are actively onboarding alpha customers for supported CleanPlex deployments right now. If you would like to discuss your NGS requirements, I would genuinely welcome the conversation.