Global Symposium Spotlights Optical Genome Mapping's Growing Power in Genomic Medicine

SAN DIEGO, CA – February 09, 2026 – Bionano Genomics today announced its Bionano Symposium 2026, a global virtual event poised to highlight the expanding capabilities and adoption of optical genome mapping (OGM) in medical research. Scheduled for February 23-26, the four-day symposium will bring together more than 30 leading researchers from North America, Europe, and Asia to present groundbreaking findings that are pushing the boundaries of genome analysis in oncology, genetic disease, and bioprocessing.

As the genomics field continues its rapid evolution, the event serves as a critical platform for a technology that promises to solve longstanding challenges in detecting large-scale genomic variations. By providing a high-resolution view of the genome's structure, OGM is enabling scientists to uncover insights that have long been hidden from conventional methods, signaling a potential paradigm shift in how complex diseases are understood and diagnosed.

A Sharper Lens on the Genome

At the heart of the symposium is optical genome mapping, a technology that visualizes extremely long, high-molecular-weight DNA molecules to provide a comprehensive view of a genome's architecture. Unlike next-generation sequencing (NGS), which reads short fragments of DNA and pieces them together computationally, OGM directly images long molecules, making it exceptionally powerful for detecting large structural variants (SVs). These SVs—which include large insertions, deletions, inversions, and complex rearrangements of chromosomes—are often the culprits in cancer and rare genetic disorders but can be difficult or impossible to identify accurately with sequencing alone.

Bionano's Saphyr and Stratys systems are at the forefront of this technology. OGM consistently demonstrates a higher resolution than traditional cytogenetic methods like karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), while providing a genome-wide perspective that these targeted approaches lack. Research has shown that OGM can identify insertions and deletions as small as 500 base pairs and define translocation breakpoints with kilobase precision, offering a level of detail that bridges the gap between classical cytogenetics and DNA sequencing. This unique capability is positioning OGM as an essential tool for researchers seeking a complete picture of genomic integrity and variation.

OGM's Growing Impact Across Medical Research

The symposium's agenda underscores the broad utility of OGM across some of the most challenging areas of medical research. A significant focus will be on hematologic malignancies, where the technology is already making a substantial impact in research labs. Studies have demonstrated that OGM can often replace a series of standard tests with a single, more comprehensive assay, reducing turnaround times and increasing diagnostic yield. In one major study of over 500 hematological malignancy cases, OGM identified additional, clinically significant cytogenomic abnormalities in 58% of cases, with 15% revealing findings that directly impacted diagnosis, prognosis, or therapeutic decisions.

Solid tumors, notoriously difficult to analyze due to their complex genomic landscapes, represent another key frontier. Presenters are expected to share data showing how OGM overcomes the limitations of other methods. For example, recent research from Johns Hopkins University on bone and soft tissue tumors found that OGM not only detected 100% of the genetic variants identified by karyotyping and FISH but also uncovered new diagnostic or pathogenic variants in 74% of cases where traditional methods failed or were negative.

The event will also spotlight OGM's role in constitutional genetic disorders, where it is used to uncover cryptic rearrangements and copy number changes in rare diseases and developmental conditions that have eluded diagnosis for years. Furthermore, with the rise of gene and cell therapies, OGM is emerging as a critical quality control tool. Its ability to assess genome-wide structural integrity is invaluable for ensuring the safety of therapies that involve gene editing technologies like CRISPR, by detecting unintended, off-target genomic alterations.

The Path to Clinical Reality

While Bionano's products are designated for research use only, the symposium arrives at a time when the technology is making significant strides toward broader clinical acceptance. A crucial element of this transition is reimbursement, and Bionano has achieved key milestones that signal growing recognition from payers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has established Category I CPT codes for OGM-based analyses, a critical step for its use in clinical labs.

Notably, the final 2026 Clinical Lab Fee Schedule saw a 47% increase in the payment determination for the CPT code covering OGM use in hematologic malignancies. Another code for constitutional genetic disorders was cross-walked to a price of $1,263.53, a rate significantly higher than that for older technologies like chromosomal microarrays. This financial validation is essential, as it provides a viable economic path for clinical laboratories to adopt OGM, potentially accelerating its transition from a specialized research method to a standard-of-care diagnostic tool.

A Strategic Platform for Market Leadership

The symposium is not just a scientific gathering; it is a cornerstone of Bionano's strategy to drive market adoption and solidify its leadership in structural variant analysis. The company has been executing a strategic shift, moving its focus from simply increasing its installed base of systems—which stood at 387 globally at the end of 2025—to driving routine use and increasing sales of high-margin consumables like its proprietary nanochannel flowcells.

This event directly supports that goal by educating the growing community of users on new and powerful applications, thereby encouraging more frequent use of the technology. This strategy appears to be yielding results, with the company reporting a non-GAAP gross margin of 46% in the third quarter of 2025, a substantial improvement from 26% in the prior year, alongside disciplined cost management. By fostering a global OGM community and showcasing the technology's expanding utility, Bionano aims to create a self-reinforcing cycle of adoption, publication, and further innovation.

"At Bionano, we are transforming the way the world sees the genome," said Erik Holmlin, president and chief executive officer of Bionano. "Our Symposium brings together the global OGM community to share real-world experiences and demonstrate how OGM can reveal genomic complexity that is difficult to detect with conventional technologies."

This sentiment was echoed by Alka Chaubey, the company's chief medical officer. “We provide the technology, and scientists continue to redefine what’s possible with it,” she stated. “The 2026 Symposium will showcase how researchers worldwide are advancing genome analysis through innovative applications of OGM and establishing it as a cornerstone tool for modern cytogenetic and genome analysis.” As registration opens for the free event, the genomics community will be watching closely as OGM continues its journey from a novel research tool to an indispensable part of modern medicine.