Ares Genetics

Ares Genetics, an OpGen Group company, operates at the intersection of bioinformatics and infectious disease diagnostics, focusing on the critical global issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The company was established in Vienna, Austria, in March 2017 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Curetis GmbH. This strategic formation was designed to leverage the GEnetic Antibiotic Resistance and Susceptibility (GEAR) database and related assets, which Curetis had acquired from Siemens in 2016. The founding leadership included Dr. Andreas Posch, who previously led bioinformatics at Siemens Healthcare and was responsible for the GEAR database, and Dr. Achim Plum, Curetis's CCO. Their experience was instrumental in shaping the company's direction.

The core of Ares Genetics' business is its proprietary, AI-powered reference database on antimicrobial resistance, known as ARESdb. This extensive knowledge base contains comprehensive data on pathogen genomes and their response to various antibiotics, enabling the prediction of antibiotic efficacy from a pathogen's genetic profile. The company's business model is centered on providing services and products to partners in public health, as well as the diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries. Revenue is generated through strategic licensing, R&D partnerships, and providing NGS-based clinical microbiology assays. Key collaborations have included partnerships with Sandoz, QIAGEN, and other global diagnostics corporations.

Ares Genetics offers a suite of products and services built upon its ARES Technology Platform. A central offering is ARESdb, which has grown to include data from tens of thousands of bacterial strains. This database powers the ARESupa (Universal Pathogenome Assay), a service that uses whole-genome sequencing to identify bacterial strains and detect AMR for applications in epidemiology and infection control. To facilitate access to its powerful analytical capabilities, the company launched AREScloud, a web application that automates data processing from raw sequence data to an actionable report, providing insights into pathogen identity, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance. This platform is offered under a subscription model, allowing users to access the ARESdb knowledgebase and its advanced machine-learning models. In April 2020, Ares Genetics became part of OpGen through a business combination with Curetis. However, in November 2023, Ares Genetics filed for insolvency, and its assets were subsequently sold to bioMérieux in April 2024.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, infectious disease diagnostics, bioinformatics, genetic resistance testing, ARESdb, next-generation sequencing, pathogen genomics, antibiotic susceptibility testing, molecular diagnostics, artificial intelligence in healthcare, machine learning, AREScloud, ARESupa, DNA-based diagnostics, infection control, epidemiology, pharmaceutical partnerships, Vienna, OpGen, Curetis, bioMérieux