enGenome, a bioinformatics company developing software solutions for the diagnosis of genetic diseases has been selected as one of 65 European startups and SMEs for the first European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator call of 2021 and will benefit from a grant of € 1.7 million plus the opportunity to receive an investment from the European Commission.

Previously known as SME Instrument, the EIC Accelerator is a new European financial instrument that supports the growth process of highly innovative companies and start-ups through grants and investments in equity. EIC has a budget of approximately € 1.1 billion for 2021.

The eVai software, developed by enGenome to support doctors in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases through the interpretation of genomic variants, has overcome a highly competitive selection process to win the approval of the European Innovation Council. Such selection consisted of two phases in which applications were evaluated by external experts and interviewed in front of a jury of investors and entrepreneurs. The success rate for this first call was less than 3%.

Ettore Rizzo, CEO and co-founder of enGenome considers this recognition much more than just an important financial injection:

Variant interpretation is still the biggest hindrance to widespread adoption of sequencing technologies and clinicians struggle to identify disease-causing variants. eVai has the potential to end the diagnostic odyssey for millions of rare disease patients and increase the diagnostic yield of genetic disorders that currently average only close to 50%.

Press Release: European Innovation Council announces new wave of start-up champions

About Us

enGenome is an Italian bioinformatics company founded in 2016 whose mission is to deliver the most accurate genomic reports for the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases. The company provides bioinformatics services for the analysis and interpretation of NGS data in clinical and research settings through innovative software technologies and wide-ranging experience in the genomics field.

enGenome's flagship product eVai (the expert variant interpreter) is a CE IVD cloud platform  which enables accurate, fast and intuitive interpretation of genomic variants. The software has proven to be a best-in-class solution for inherited genetic diseases (cardiovascular, neurological and rare diseases, as well as hereditary cancer) and supports target panels, whole-exome and whole-genome analyses starting from VCF files. eVai classifies variants according to ACMG and ClinGen guidelines and prioritizes them using a proprietary pathogenicity score. The software optimizes the time of diagnosis, increases the diagnostic yield and standardizes the process. eVai was developed with simplicity in mind and follows  genetics recommendations. It is also extremely intuitive and easy to use. Additionally, enGenome provides customized bioinformatics solutions to support research and diagnostics for DNA-Seq analysis of germline and somatic samples, RNA-Seq analysis and liquid biopsy.