Roche acquires genomic analysis startup Bina

Pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche has bought Bina Technologies, a startup that built hardware and software for genomic analysis.

The startup’s technologies made a big difference for researchers who sought to pore over genomic data. Genetic analysis can take a few hours for $200, instead of thousands of dollars and weeks or months, VentureBeat reported last year.

“This merger provides us with the resources, knowledge, and expertise to substantially grow our business and product capabilities,” Bina chief executive Narges Bani Asadi wrote in a blog post on the news. The Bina team will be able to sell its Genomic Management Solutions to drug companies and academic institutions around the world, she wrote.

Bina started in 2011 and was based in Redwood City, Calif. Investors include Sierra Ventures, Jerry Yang, and Mohsen Moazami. Pilot customers included Stanford Genetics Department and the VA Palo Alto hospital.