New 96.96 Dynamic Array Accelerates SNP Genotyping

The BioMark 96.96 Dynamic Array from Fluidigm Europe is a new integrated fluidic circuit (IFC) capable of performing 9,216 simultaneous real-time PCR experiments running TaqMan assays in nanolitre quantities. This new generation IFC enables life science researchers to achieve new levels of cost and logistical efficiency and flexibility, as well as comprehensive profiling from miniscule amounts of sample.

The 96.96 Dynamic Array, the heart of Fluidigm's BioMark Genetic Analysis System, provides the flexibility of a microwell plate and the density of a microarray in one easy-to-use consumable. IFCs meter, multiplex and combine nanolitre volumes of fluids, with precise control and reproducibility, many thousands of times - in parallel - on a single chip. Using Fluidigm's 96.96 Dynamic Array, researchers can set up 9,216 experiments with just 192 pipetting steps (as compared to more than 18,000 pipetting steps when conducting this magnitude of experiments on standard 384 microwell plates).

"Our new BioMark 96.96 Dynamic Array is our most complex and most capable IFC ever - yet it is simple to use," said Gajus Worthington, Fluidigm's President and CEO. "The 96.96 doesn't require pre-spotting, so researchers have full flexibility to select from the lab's existing assays to quickly and readily modify experiments." The demands of genotyping researchers require high throughput and high call-rates at very low cost. "The 96.96 Dynamic Array delivers greater than 99 percent call rates and can process more than 70,000 genotypes in a day - all for just over a nickle per data point (using TaqMan assays)," Worthington continued.

For researchers focused on gene expression analysis, the 96.96 Dynamic Arrays can be used to identify or validate large panels of genes that might predict cancer progression or help determine treatment options. The cost and complexity of conducting high-throughput real-time PCR experiments using conventional methods limited researchers' ability to perform the appropriate assays. Researchers would often choose a small number of assays to validate. With Fluidigm's 96.96 Dynamic Arrays, pipetting workloads, sample volumes, reagent volumes and costs are significantly reduced. With high throughput and lower costs, researchers can pursue projects that may have been prohibititively cumbersome and costly using conventional methods.

When comparing Fluidigm's new 96.96 Dynamic Arrays to industry-standard 384-well systems using 10 uL reaction volumes, the 96.96 provides significant improvements in productivity and efficiency. Fluidigm's BioMark Genetic Analysis System consists of single-use 96.96 or 48.48 Dynamic Array IFCs, loaders that control the IFCs, readers that detect reactions on the IFCs and software for analysing, annotating and archiving the data produced by the readers.

Fluidigm develops, manufactures and markets proprietary Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) systems that significantly improve productivity in life science research. Fluidigm's IFCs enable the simultaneous performance of thousands of sophisticated biochemical measurements in extremely minute volumes. These "integrated circuits for biology" are made possible by miniaturizing and integrating liquid handling components on a single microfabricated device. Fluidigm's IFC systems, consisting of instrumentation, software and single-use IFCs, increase throughput, decrease costs and enhance sensitivity compared to conventional laboratory systems. Fluidigm products have not been cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as a diagnostic and are only available for research use.

SOURCE: Fluidigm