n6 appoints Broad Institute Principal Investigator Aziz Al'Khafaji as Scientific Advisor, advancing AutoNorm™ as the new standard in NGS library preparation

n6 Tec, Inc. (n6), the developer of icon96^™, the first and only intelligent thermocycler platform with real-time, per-well adaptive amplification (iconPCR^™ with AutoNorm), today announced the appointment of Dr. Aziz Al'Khafaji as Scientific Advisor. Dr. Al'Khafaji is Director of Molecular R&D at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and founder and director of the Broad's Methods Development Lab – a role in which he builds, optimizes, and deploys next-generation genomics technologies at one of the world's most influential research institutions.

Dr. Al'Khafaji first encountered icon96 with AutoNorm through an early conversation with the n6 team and immediately recognized the unlock a well-specific, individually adjustable amplification system would have on accelerating methods development and generating high-quality samples at scale.

Central to methods development is the ability to rapidly and faithfully test dozens of reaction conditions – each carrying their own optimal cycle number. As such, traditional fixed-cycle PCR systems lead to both under- and over-cycling across conditions, making apples-to-apples comparisons impossible. Experiments that would have seemed straightforward were, as Dr. Al'Khafaji describes them, "simply intractable".

With icon96 and AutoNorm, every reaction runs to its individual optimum, stops automatically, and emerges ready for direct comparison.

The impact extends beyond methods development. In the single-cell space, where samples are precious and there is no opportunity for a pre-amplification quant step, the ability to dynamically and consistently amplify variable inputs in a single pass should greatly improve data quality and consistency.

Dr. Al'Khafaji's experience spanning both the research lab and the needs of a production-scale environment gives him a unique vantage point on these challenges, and the scale at which those challenges matter.

"I joined n6 as a Scientific Advisor for the simple fact that I believe strongly in the impact of addressing sequencing prep issues will have in the field of genomics. In my role, I look forward to contributing my scientific perspective to help shape this technology. With the incredible advances in genomics over the past few years, even more of a spotlight is being put on upstream sample preparation workflows that can deliver quality and scale - simple solutions are often the most profound," says Dr. Aziz Al'Khafaji, Director of Molecular R&D, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Dr. Aziz Al'Khafaji serves as a Scientific Advisor to n6 in his personal capacity. His role as Scientific Advisor and any views expressed are his own and do not represent an endorsement by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only.

PCR was developed forty years ago, long before the complexities of modern sequencing. For too long, the field has worked around the limitations of that legacy, open-loop technology. With iconPCR and AutoNorm, we have finally upgraded the lab's most fundamental tool to match the sophistication of the sequencer. Aziz's scientific perspective will be invaluable as we continue to shape AutoNorm. Because our technology is assay and platform agnostic, we are establishing a universal standard where genomic integrity is preserved by design – allowing any workflow to scale with transformative economic and scientific gains."

Dr. Pranav Patel, CEO, n6

n6's icon96 platform simultaneously amplifies, quantifies, and normalizes NGS libraries – with AutoNorm monitoring fluorescence in real time and terminating each well independently at its optimal cycle endpoint. The result is sequencing-ready, optimally amplified, balanced libraries in a single automated step, with no post-PCR quantification, no individual cleanup, and no guesswork.