SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) has announced a significant collaboration with Jessa Ziekenhuis in Hasselt, Belgium, to advance precision oncology capabilities through the implementation of AI-driven genomic analysis platforms. The partnership represents a major step forward in bringing standardized, efficient genomic testing to cancer patients across Belgium.
Strategic Implementation of Unified Genomic Platform
Jessa Ziekenhuis, one of Belgium's largest healthcare institutions serving a population of over 530,000, processes more than 3,000 oncology DNA and RNA samples annually. The hospital will adopt the SOPHiA DDM™ platform across its pathology operations to unify next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows under a single integrated system.
The implementation encompasses full standardization covering universal library preparation, unified automated protocols, and a completely integrated workflow designed to ensure efficiency, harmonization, and compliance with national ComPerMed guidelines while enabling more effective use of sequencing resources.
Comprehensive Application Suite for Oncology Testing
The collaboration will deploy six SOPHiA GENETICS applications specifically tailored to Jessa Ziekenhuis's testing requirements across solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and liquid biopsy analysis. This comprehensive approach is designed to enhance both clinical decision-making capabilities and research potential.
The SOPHiA GENETICS solution combines a cloud-based platform with embedded automation and advanced analysis tools, fully integrated with Jessa Ziekenhuis's Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). This integration ensures seamless data flow, consistency across the workflow, and significantly streamlined operations.
Projected Efficiency and Cost Benefits
By unifying its entire pathology NGS operation under this single workflow, Jessa Ziekenhuis expects substantial operational improvements. The hospital anticipates cutting hands-on time by 30-50%, reducing overall costs by up to 25%, and accelerating testing turnaround times. This harmonized approach also enables more efficient use of sequencers, record implementation-to-accreditation timelines, and better scalability.
Novel Consortium Model for Resource Sharing
A key innovation of this partnership is the establishment of the Bridge Consortium, created jointly by Jessa Ziekenhuis and AZ Delta in Roeselare, Belgium. The SOPHiA DDM™ Dispatch feature will enable seamless sharing of a NovaSeq sequencer between the two institutions, which jointly and equally invested in the equipment.
This collaborative network model improves turnaround times, optimizes use of sequencing capacity, and strengthens knowledge sharing between institutions, potentially serving as a template for similar partnerships across European healthcare networks.
Clinical Leadership Perspectives
Dr. Brigitte Maes, Clinical Pathologist at Laboratory for Molecular Diagnostics at Jessa Ziekenhuis, emphasized the institution's commitment to innovation: "At Jessa Ziekenhuis, we are strongly committed to innovation in order to provide our patients with access to the most advanced oncological care. Through our collaboration with SOPHiA GENETICS, we can fully harmonize and accelerate our NGS workflows. This step enables us to generate molecular insights faster and more accurately, which benefits both clinical decision-making and our research projects. Ultimately, this is an important investment in personalized medicine and in the quality of care for Belgian patients with cancer."
Kevin Puylaert, Managing Director of EMEA at SOPHiA GENETICS, highlighted the strategic significance: "Our collaboration with Jessa Ziekenhuis exemplifies how SOPHiA GENETICS can support leading institutions in scaling their genomics capabilities while ensuring the highest possible quality and efficiency. By delivering a fully automated, cloud-native solution tailored to their oncology needs, we're empowering Jessa Ziekenhuis to unify workflows, accelerate insights, and elevate patient care across Belgium."
Expanding European Footprint
This agreement strengthens SOPHiA GENETICS' presence across European hospital networks, advancing the company's mission to bring scalable, decentralized, data-driven precision medicine to institutions focused on advancing patient care through cutting-edge genomics. The partnership was announced at the European Congress of Pathology in Vienna, Austria, September 6-9, 2025.
