Technology

Hartwig Medical Foundation and Ultima Genomics Expand Collaboration to Advance Whole-Genome Sequencing in Oncology Care

Published

5 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Hartwig to adopt Ultima Genomics’ UG200 sequencing system to accelerate implementation of whole-genome-based clinical genomics workflows on Solaris 2.0 technology

Hartwig and Ultima to continue implementation and validation of ppmSeq, the only decentralizable whole-genome solution commercially available today for monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) with low single-digit part-per-million sensitivity

AMSTERDAM and FREMONT, Calif., June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hartwig Medical Foundation and Ultima Genomics today announced an expansion of their strategic collaboration, marked by Hartwig’s adoption of the new Ultima UG200™, Ultima’s 2nd generation sequencing system. The agreement builds on the organization’s existing work with Ultima’s technology and is designed to accelerate Hartwig’s mission to make whole-genome sequencing (WGS) more accessible, scalable, and clinically actionable for oncology patients.

Hartwig has been a pioneer in applying WGS for cancer diagnostics. Through OncoAct Whole Genome Sequencing (OncoAct WGS), Hartwig’s comprehensive molecular diagnostic service for solid tumors analyzes the tumor genome to identify clinically relevant biomarkers, therapy options, and potential clinical trial matches. Hartwig has been working with Ultima’s first-generation sequencing system, the UG 100®, since 2024 to build deployable bioinformatics solutions and demonstrate the utility of Ultima’s new sequencing architecture for WGS in cancer testing and emerging applications such as liquid biopsy and minimal residual disease (MRD). With the addition of the UG200, Hartwig expands the scale, throughput, and breadth of its sequencing capabilities while continuing to reduce the overall cost of cancer testing and generating comprehensive genomic data across different oncology applications.

Ultima’s UG200 is powered by Ultima’s new Solaris 2.0 workflows, which provide significant advantages for deploying the UG200 into clinical laboratory settings. The simplified workflows employ an isothermal amplification process, instead of previously used emulsion-based amplification, and now integrate with standard laboratory automation and improve coverage uniformity across challenging genomic regions. The workflows reduce hands-on time, simplify operations, and are designed to support clinical-scale deployment and automation. The workflows also enable Ultima’s ultrasensitive ppmSeq technology, which provides single-digit part-per-million accuracy using WGS for applications like MRD.

“Whole-genome sequencing for oncology applications becomes transformative when it is paired with the accuracy of our flow-based chemistry and is no longer constrained by cost, capacity, or operational complexity,” said Gilad Almogy, CEO of Ultima Genomics. “Hartwig has already shown what is possible when comprehensive genomic information is connected to clinical decision-making. This next phase is about building the clinical infrastructure that enables WGS to become routine for oncology in global settings, while also opening the door to employing WGS in applications requiring deeper sequencing and extreme accuracy, such as MRD.”

A central objective of the expanded collaboration between Ultima and Hartwig is to further validate and implement Ultima’s ppmSeq technology for whole-genome-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring. Hartwig’s comprehensive tumor-genome foundation enables development of a pure WGS-based MRD approach without the operational burden of bespoke panel design, manufacturing, or patient-specific assay production.

Today, ppmSeq technology is the only broadly available, decentralized whole genome MRD workflow that can be implemented by clinical users in-house in global settings with ultra-sensitive levels of detection down to the single-digit ppm range.

This work is closely aligned with Hartwig’s clinical research direction in the Netherlands, including ongoing efforts for setting up clinical studies designed to evaluate blood-based ctDNA monitoring in patients already undergoing standard WGS-based molecular diagnostics at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI). Findings from such studies are expected to help define the clinical utility, health-economic value, and implementation pathway for broader adoption of WGS-based disease monitoring in Dutch oncology care. Together, Hartwig and Ultima aim to generate evidence that supports not only technical feasibility, but also patient impact, cost-benefit assessment, and routine-care adoption.

“OncoAct WGS was built on the principle that the complete cancer genome can provide a more complete view of the patient’s disease, resulting in improved clinical actionability and more patient impact,” said Edwin Cuppen Scientific Director at Hartwig Medical Foundation. “With the UG200, we can extend that principle from therapy selection at diagnosis toward longitudinal, high-resolution disease monitoring using a one-size-fits all assay. The question is no longer whether WGS can provide value. The question is how quickly we can build the evidence, workflows, and clinical infrastructure to make that value available to more patients.”

Finally, the collaboration will also focus on building practical end-to-end workflows including extension of the Hartwig-developed comprehensive open-source cancer genomics tools (OncoAnalyser) to optimally support Ultima data and longitudinal ctDNA analysis to help the broader clinical genomics community implement Ultima technology in-house. Hartwig and Ultima intend to continue working together across laboratory automation, sample preparation, sequencing operations, data quality control, and bioinformatics.

About Hartwig Medical Foundation

Hartwig Medical Foundation is a Dutch nonprofit organization that operates globally with the mission to improve cancer patient care. They support data-driven treatment decisions through a combination of innovative software, clinical data analyses, and molecular diagnostics. This enables patients to timely receive the right treatment, while generating and making available valuable data that supports research, drug development,and the continuous improvement of care.

About Ultima Genomics

Ultima Genomics is unleashing the power of genomics at scale. The Company’s mission is to continuously drive the scale of genomic information to enable unprecedented advances in biology and improvements in human health. With humanity on the cusp of a biological revolution, there is a virtually endless need for more genomic information to address biology’s complexity and dynamic change—and a further need to challenge conventional next-generation sequencing technologies. Ultima’s revolutionary new sequencing architecture drives down the costs of sequencing to help overcome the tradeoffs that scientists and clinicians are forced to make between the breadth, depth and frequency with which they use genomic information. The new sequencing architecture was designed to scale far beyond conventional sequencing technologies, lower the cost of genomic information, and catalyze the next phase of genomics in the 21st century. To learn more, visit www.ultimagenomics.com

Media contacts:

Ultima Genomics: Vikki Herrera, Oak Street Communications, 408-206-7009, vikki@oakstreetcommunications.com

Hartwig Medical Foundation: Edwin Cuppen, Scientific director, info@hartwigmedicalfoundation.nl, +31 20 226 9700

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SOURCE Ultima Genomics

Technology

Climate Solutions Prize unveils 2026 winners

Published

24 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Under the theme Innovation in Motion, the Festival brought together leading voices in climate, policy and innovation across seven tracks, with more than $1.5 million in prizes.

MONTREAL, June 12, 2026 /CNW/ – The fourth edition of the Climate Solutions Prize Festival came to a close on the evening of June 9 at the Marché Bonsecours. The event drew 1,500 people to Montreal on June 8 and 9 for two days of talks, panel discussions and pitch events bringing together innovators, investors, industry leaders and policymakers from more than 20 countries and 5 continents. The winners of the four 2026 prizes were revealed at the closing ceremony.

“Climate innovation will not be led by slogans, but by builders. Our finalists are proof of that: their solutions do not ask the market to make a sacrifice. They win because they are faster, cleaner and profitable. Thank you to each of them for bringing that ambition to our stage, and my warmest congratulations to Treetack, TerraFixing, Tydra Labs, Local Energy, BeNat, the National Research Council of Canada and Hyperion, the University of Toronto in collaboration with Xatoms, Pirouz Kian and Sanjay Dube. The real race today is no longer about invention, but about the speed of deployment, and this week, we proved that we can lead it,” said Galith Levy, CEO and co-founder of the Climate Solutions Prize.

From a high-level kickoff to a Shark Tank style finale

Pascale Déry, Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, officially launched the event, reaffirming the government’s commitment to accelerating the ecological transition through innovation. She was followed by Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Mayor of Montreal, who underscored the city’s key role as an international hub for research and innovation in the service of climate action, as well as the importance of cities on the front lines of environmental challenges.

The program brought together leading voices, including Sage Lenier, climate educator and founder of Sustainable & Just Future, and Bruce Friedrich, founder and CEO of the Good Food Institute. The Honourable Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and former Premier of Quebec, spoke with Henry Stern, Senator for the State of California. Their conversation, both clear-eyed and committed, explored a central question: how can democratic institutions respond to the climate emergency in a way that meets today’s challenges? They pointed to the Quebec-California carbon market partnership as an example of how to build sustainable and resilient economies.

The event concluded with a Shark Tank-style pitch competition, where the finalist companies for the Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize defended their solutions before a jury of investors and industry leaders, ahead of the announcement of the winning company at the closing ceremony.

The 2026 winners:

Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize (Canada & Quebec)

Treetack $100,000TerraFixing $100,000Audience choice: Tydra Labs, $25,000

Breakthrough Research Prize

First place : National Research Council of Canada and Hyperion, $250,000Second place : University of Toronto in collaboration with Xatoms, $150,000

Climate Startup Equity Prize, powered by Cycle Momentum – Pre-Seed

BeNat, $150,000

Climate Startup Equity Prize, powered by Cycle Momentum – Seed

Local Energy, $250,000

Student Entrepreneur Innovation Prize

First place : Pirouz Kian, University of Calgary – NanoStrip, $100,000Second place: Sanjay Dube, Memorial University of Newfoundland, $80,000

The Climate Solutions Prize in numbers

The 2026 edition welcomed 1,500 participants, with a 30% increase in prize applications over last year. It featured seven tracks, including three new ones (Nature and Biotechnologies, Resource Technologies, and Energy and Power). Since 2020, the Climate Solutions Prize has awarded more than $12 million in prizes, and its winners have unlocked more than $111 million in follow-on capital.

About the Climate Solutions Prize

Climate Solutions Prize is a climate innovation platform that arms startups and researchers with the funding, global visibility and strategic connections they need to move from proof-of-concept to real-world deployment. It connects climate technology innovators directly with the investors, industry partners, policymakers and decision-makers who can accelerate their path to market. Since 2020, the platform has awarded more than $12 million in prizes, and its winners have unlocked more than $111 million in follow-on capital.

Learn more: climatesolutionsprize.com

SOURCE Climate Solutions Prize

Technology

Ara: History Untold v2.1 Update Adds National Crafting Policy System, Now Available

Published

24 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

Update addresses the most-requested change since launch by letting players set their empire’s crafting priorities at the nation level

PLYMOUTH, Mich., June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, released the v2.1 Update for Ara: History Untold today, introducing a new National Crafting Policy System that addresses the most-common piece of player feedback since launch: managing crafting across a large empire took too long. With v2.1, players set their empire’s crafting priorities once at the nation level, and every crafter follows the policy automatically. The free update is available now on Steam for all players.

Ara: History Untold is a turn-based 4X strategy game where players guide a civilization from antiquity to the modern era. Players build cities, run detailed crafting and production chains, lead armies, and shape their nation’s culture and religion as they compete with rival civilizations for power and influence. The depth of Ara’s crafting and civilization-building has been a hallmark of the game since launch, but managing that depth at the scale of a large empire required significant player attention.

The new National Crafting Policy System changes that. Players can set crafting priorities and production goals at the nation level, and every crafter in the empire then follows the policy automatically, without the need to manage individual workshops. Players who want fine-grained control in specific cities can still override the policy whenever they want, through a new three-mode dropdown on the Improvement Panel. The result is a game that asks players to think like rulers, not foremen.

“The biggest piece of feedback we got from Ara players was that managing crafting across a large empire took too long,” said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. “The v2.1 Update fixes that without taking control away from the players who want it. You set the direction at the nation level, override the cities that need a different approach, and spend your time on the parts of the game you actually want to play.”

v2.1 Update Key Features

National Crafting Policy System. Set your empire’s crafting priorities once at the nation level, and every crafter in the empire follows the policy automatically. A new three-mode dropdown on the Improvement Panel lets you override the policy for any city or any individual crafter whenever you want.Expanded Culture Traits. Twenty-seven new Culture Traits across all six domains (Commerce, Military, Science, Government, Religion, and Industrial), giving players more meaningful options when spending Influence and more ways to shape their civilization’s identity.New Religious Verses. Seven new verses that pair with the expanded culture options, giving religion-focused civilizations more ways to shape their empire’s character.Balance and Gameplay Refinements. Cities accumulate workers faster as they level up, AI civilizations now settle with more variation in distance from other civilizations, and notification controls have been expanded to reduce noise during the late game.Stability and Performance Improvements. Terrain rendering fixes, CPU optimization through adaptive spin-wait, multiplayer turn resolver updates, font rendering improvements, and UI fixes for dropdown menus.

Beyond the policy system, the v2.1 Update expands the cultural and religious depth of Ara with a large set of new Culture Traits and religious verses, giving players more meaningful choices about how to spend Influence and how to define what their civilization stands for. The update also includes balance refinements tuned to the late-game pace and a round of stability and performance improvements.

Ara: History Untold v2.1 is now available as a free update with purchase or existing entitlement of the base game on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for PC. For the latest information on updates, community initiatives, and future content, visit the official website at www.arahistoryuntold.com.

About Stardock Entertainment
Stardock is a pioneer in the strategy gaming genre headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. that has been developing and publishing strategy and simulation games since 1993, starting with the original release of Galactic Civilizations. Stardock’s recent hits include Sins of a Solar Empire, Ashes of the Singularity, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, and Offworld Trading Company. Learn more at www.stardock.com.

About Oxide Games
Oxide Games is a video game studio founded in January 2013 by a group of veteran strategy game developers, including Dan Baker, Brian Wade, Marc Meyer, Tim Kipp, and Brad Wardell. Leadership at Oxide Games previously worked on ground-breaking strategy titles, such as Sid Meier’s Civilization V & VI. Oxide Games developed the Nitrous Engine to support the release of Ashes of the Singularity, which continues to set GPU benchmarking standards. Oxide Games released 4X grand strategy title Ara: History Untold alongside Xbox Game Studios in 2024.

Media Contact:
Samantha Miller
smiller@stardock.com

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SOURCE Stardock Entertainment

Technology

Insta360 Hits Back at DJI Launch-Day Lawsuits With U.S. Patent Countersuits

Published

24 minutes ago

June 12, 2026

LOS ANGELES, June 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Insta360 has filed two countersuits against DJI in the U.S., asserting five utility patents covering technology used in gimbal and 360-degree cameras.

The company asserts that DJI infringed its patents relating to gimbal stabilization, gimbal directional control, camera smooth stabilization, telemetry overlay, and panoramic video stabilization. These technologies are incorporated into several major DJI products, including the Osmo Pocket series, Ronin/RS series, Osmo Mobile series, and Osmo 360.

“At Insta360, we prefer to let our products do the talking. But we are not afraid of a legal battle when challenged,” said JK Liu, Founder of Insta360. “We are fully committed to protecting our innovations and will take decisive action to defend our intellectual property from infringement.”

These countersuits are a direct response to patent lawsuits initiated by DJI on June 10—the day Insta360 launched its Luna Ultra camera. DJI’s legal action seeks a permanent injunction to ban Luna Ultra from the U.S. market.

Insta360 categorically rejects DJI’s infringement claims regarding the new Luna Ultra camera, emphasizing the device’s unique engineering footprint.

“Luna Ultra is the result of years of independent R&D, not a response to any competitor’s product,” added Liu. “Development began in 2020, with earlier Insta360 products including the ONE R, Link Series webcams, and Flow Series gimbals helping shape the technology and design direction behind Luna Ultra. DJI filing lawsuits on the same day we launched Luna Ultra speaks volumes—exposing their fear of competition from a highly competitive product.”

Initial consumer response has been strong, with Luna Ultra seeing significant demand in North America and ranking as the top seller in Amazon’s camcorder category in the U.S. over its first 24 hours of availability. Insta360 remains fully committed to defending its IP portfolio while working to ensure the continued availability of its products for creators worldwide.

Insta360

With a “Think bold” mindset, Insta360 empowers people to capture and share their lives in extraordinary ways. Recognized as a market leader and innovator, Insta360’s vast lineup includes the world’s best-selling 360 cameras in the X Series, the pocket-sized GO Series for everyday capture, as well as an extensive range of action cameras, gimbals, webcams, and professional photography solutions. With intuitive, AI-powered software, Insta360 simplifies the creative process, allowing users to focus on storytelling without technical barriers. Insta360 is dedicated to helping a new generation of athletes, creatives, travelers and professionals bring their ideas to life.

For more details visit: http://www.insta360.com
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