About this episode

Peter Fromen discusses the significance of a 6-base genome and its implications for early disease detection.

You’ve heard of 5-base genomics. How about 6-base? It turns out that separating 5-methylcytosine (mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC) is pretty important. Peter Fromen has had a front-row seat to the evolution of sequencing, from the rise of high-throughput genomics at Illumina to long-read technologies at PacBio. Now, as CEO of Biomodal, he’s focused on integrating genetics and epigenetics into a single workflow—and showing that the regulatory layer of the genome may be where the next breakthroughs lie. Chapters: 0:00: Why epigenetics needed a reset12:07 The colorectal cancer study and early detection signal16:41 Building the 6-base ecosystem21:23 Commercial traction and the road to the clinic In today’s program, Fromen explains why distinguishing between mC and hmC changes how we read biology. Biomodal’s recent colorectal cancer study begins to demonstrate that value in practice. “We ultimately ended up generating an AUC of 95%,” he says, describing early-stage detection results that point to the power of combining both signals. More broadly, he frames hydroxymethylation as an early indicator of disease. “hmC is essentially the canary in the coal mine for early disease…

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