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UC-Davis School of Medicine Investigates Human Disease Genetics With OpenArray(TM) System

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 09:01 CDT

BioTrove, Inc. announced today that the University of California, Davis School of Medicine will use the BioTrove OpenArray™ technology platform to explore genetic variations in common human diseases. Led by Michael F. Seldin, M.D., Ph.D., Rowe Chair of Human Genetics, researchers at UC-Davis are utilizing an OpenArray NT Imager to conduct single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of large community-based patient cohorts, with the goal of identifying genetic variations linked to disease susceptibility.

"To better understand the genetic variation of disease and its links to human ancestry, we have embarked on a study using tens of thousands of patient samples," said Dr. Seldin. "These studies will provide the ability to both look at whether ancestry is linked to disease, as well as to better design experimental studies in admixed populations such as African Americans and various Hispanic groups."

"Finding a possible link is a first and vital step toward broader research leading to better treatment," he continued. "Now, with the OpenArray platform enabling faster, more cost-effective analysis of large patient populations and hundreds of SNPs, we can conduct research that was previously untenable -- helping UC-Davis pave the way for scientists in academic, medical and industry settings across the nation to identify the most promising ways to fight disease."

OpenArray technology also enables researchers to confirm associations in very complex diseases. Unlike other technologies, which can genotype hundreds of thousands of SNPs in a few patient samples, OpenArray allows researchers to analyze SNPs across tens of thousands of patient samples -- dramatically expanding study size and data significance. OpenArray SNP genotyping is also more efficient than previous technology because of its flexible design. A single OpenArray plate holds as few as 16 or as many as 3072 separate assays, which can be run against 48-144 samples per plate. Since the OpenArray NT Imager can process three OpenArray plates at once, it can generate more than 9000 data points in less than 10 minutes, ultimately generating over 100,000 data points per day with a single employee.

"A significant issue facing researchers today is securing access to efficient, precise and cost-effective SNP genotyping technologies," said Albert Luderer, Ph.D., president and CEO, BioTrove. "Our commitment is to enable research centers such as the UC-Davis School of Medicine to conduct innovative, large-scale research projects like Dr. Seldin's, unlocking the possibilities to improving public health. BioTrove is excited that an outstanding group of scientists are combining their know-how with our technologies."

About BioTrove, Inc.

BioTrove, Inc. offers two innovative technology platforms: RapidFire™, which enables the acceleration of drug discovery and pipeline decisions, and OpenArray™, which advances genomic research in a wide range of life science fields, including agriculture, disease research, bio-defense, and public health. With more than half of the world's ten largest pharmaceutical companies as clients, and partnerships with prestigious research and public health centers around the world, BioTrove's products and services ensure that an industry committed to accuracy and speed can meet business goals.

RapidFire™ Mass Spectrometry (RFMS) uses an innovative microfluidic technology to facilitate analysis at faster than 10 seconds per sample, eliminating the bottleneck created by traditional mass spectrometry throughput. RFMS is routinely used in many applications including the high-throughput screening of previously intractable drug targets, cytochrome P450 inhibition and other ADME assays and directed evolution studies.

The OpenArray™ Platform enables genomics researchers to generate SNP and real time qPCR data in the hundreds of thousands of data points per day, significantly increasing the number of samples analyzed while significantly decreasing the time and cost required. The flexible format and nanoliter scale of the OpenArray™ system allows for easy adjustment of sample and assay numbers, achieving economical, high-throughput genomics.

For more information, please visit www.biotrove.com.

Source: Business Wire

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