Frequently Asked Questions
The GigaAssay™ is a revolutionary high-throughput technology that can simultaneously test the functional impact of millions of genetic variants within a single experiment. It allows researchers to see how different mutations affect biological function — such as protein activity, gene regulation, or drug response — in a massively parallel, real-world cellular environment.
In short, it measures how specific genetic changes impact real cell behavior — not just theoretical predictions.
GML, or Genomic Multiplex Library, is a highly complex library of genetic constructs that includes millions of DNA sequences representing variations across a target region.
This library allows the GigaAssay™ to:
- Introduce a vast number of mutations simultaneously
- Measure their effects in living cells
- Capture functional outcomes such as protein expression levels, enzymatic activity, or cellular responses
GML is the backbone that powers the scalability and precision of the GigaAssay™ system.
The Helegenics platform transforms drug discovery by:
- Identifying mutations that cause drug resistance or sensitivity — before clinical trials.
- Mapping genetic vulnerabilities in cancer or other diseases that drugs can target.
- Prioritizing drug candidates based on real functional outcomes, not guesswork.
- De-risking development by eliminating compounds likely to fail due to genetic variation.
This leads to faster, cheaper, and more successful drug development, with therapies tailored to specific genetic profiles.
While other technologies — like CRISPR screening, deep mutational scanning, and AI modeling — can analyze genetic variants or predict outcomes, the GigaAssay™ is unique in its ability to:
- Directly measure functional outcomes in cells at massive scale
- Quantify the real impact of millions of variants at once, not just predict it
- Provide empirical, functional data rather than theoretical risk scores
In essence, it offers a higher-resolution, real-world view of genetic impact that complements and surpasses current discovery tools.
The GigaAssay™ enables the development of next-generation diagnostic tests by:
- Identifying new biomarkers based on functional genetic changes
- Providing more accurate predictions of drug response or disease risk
- Moving diagnostics from static mutation lists to dynamic, functional assessments
This leads to diagnostics that don't just say what mutation is present — but what it actually means for treatment or prognosis.
Yes. While the initial applications focus heavily on protein-coding genes, the GigaAssay™ can also be adapted to study:
- Promoter regions (gene regulation)
- Enhancers (non-coding regulatory elements)
- Non-coding RNAs
- Intronic regions involved in splicing
This opens the door to understanding non-coding variants that influence gene expression and disease risk — an area traditionally much harder to investigate.
The GigaAssay™ measures functional outcomes of genetic variants, including:
- Protein expression or activity
- Cellular viability
- Binding interactions
- Gene regulatory effects
- Drug sensitivity or resistance
Essentially, it translates genetic variation into real biological function — allowing for a precise understanding of how mutations drive health and disease.