Agilent Technologies Introduces First Commercial Mouse Microarray For Comparative Genomic Hybridization Research
Palo Alto, CA - Agilent Technologies Inc. recently introduced the industry's first commercial mouse Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) microarray. Designed and validated for genome-wide profiling of DNA copy number changes, the Agilent Mouse Genome CGH Microarray 44A offers a new venue and performance capability for studying genomic aberrations in cancer and other genetic diseases in this critical model organism.
"This technology is potentially transformative, as cross-species comparison can serve as a powerful biological filter for complex oncogenomic data from human cancers," said Lynda Chin, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "The availability of this microarray offers a new level of resolution and sensitivity in the genomic analyses of mouse tumors."
Dr. Chin's laboratory focuses on the molecular genetics of cancer genesis and progression, with particular emphasis on the development and characterization of genetically engineered mouse models of cancers that recapitulate key aspects of the human counterpart.
Agilent launched its breakthrough oligo aCGH platform in January 2005. The company recently introduced major platform enhancements that include HD-CGH custom microarrays for pinpointing chromosomal gains and losses associated with cancer and other genetic-based illnesses. Now the company is expanding its portfolio of model organism microarrays to make this powerful platform accessible for a wider range of scientific applications.
"We've taken extra measures to design a microarray that truly represents the coverage and performance needed to detect genomic gains and losses," said Mike Booth, general manager of Agilent's Genomics Business. "Along with human catalog and custom HD-CGH microarrays, it gives researchers access to the most robust and complete family of application-specific products."
The Mouse Genome CGH Microarray 44A provides comprehensive genome-wide coverage with an emphasis on the most commonly studied genomic regions and cancer-related genes. It consists of over 43,000 60-mer oligonucleotide probes, empirically validated in multiple model systems, that span coding and noncoding sequences with an average spatial resolution of 35 kb. Coupled with Agilent's optimized assay protocols, this microarray allows researchers to identify and locate genetic alterations in this major model organism with the highest resolution and precision.
This microarray joins the recently expanded Agilent oligo aCGH platform, which also includes reagents, hardware, software, and an improved assay protocol. Each experiment requires only nanogram levels of total genomic DNA without genome complexity reduction. Researchers can now perform comparative genomic analysis in human and mouse with a single, easy-to-use workflow.
Major applications include: identifying and characterizing genomic changes associated with oncogenesis and other human genetic diseases; identifying new oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes as potential therapy targets; exploring drug resistance mechanisms associated with genomic changes; and defining constitutional as well as acquired genetic changes.
SOURCE: Agilent Technologies