I have a quick item
about a new SNP detection technology that will be featured at ESHG
which you may be interested in. Affymetrix has taken the same
high-density microarray technology that allowed it to revolutionize
gene expression and enable whole-genome studies and applied it to SNP
detection. The new Mapping 10K array can look at 10,000 SNPs in a
single experiment using just one primer.
Up to now,
researchers have been largely limited in the number of SNPs they could
look at because they had
to design a PCR primer for every reaction, making a 10,000-SNP
experiment impractical. Affymetrix new one-primer/10,000-SNP assay
enables researchers to perform high-density, high-resolution SNP
projects in genetic linkage that simply weren’t practical or
cost-effective before. With the 10K, customers are getting results in
a week that would have taken months before.
Affymetrix has 20
customers that have been using the Mapping 10k under an early access
program and can put you in touch with these customers to learn more
about this new SNP detection technology. I’ve included a
backgrounder below that gives more detail and some quotes from
customers. Let me know if you’d like to know more.
Wes Conard
Senior Manager of
Product Public Relations
Affymetrix, Inc.
Tel: +1 408 731 5000
Email: wes_conard@affymetrix.com
Affymetrix
Backgrounder on the GeneChip® Human Mapping Array 10K XBA
131
10,000
SNPs, one primer, one chip
Affymetrix
new GeneChip® Human Mapping Array 10K XBA 131 brings
whole-genome SNP analysis to the benchtop by combining an innovative,
scalable assay with a proven, high-density information platform: 10,000
SNPs, one primer, one chip.
Worldwide,
20 customers have already successfully used the Mapping 10K.
The product is currently being rolled out to more customers and a
full launch is expected later this summer.
By
extending its leadership in whole-genome expression analysis to DNA
analysis, Affymetrix enables researchers to understand both the function
and variation of the genome on a single platform. The product delivers
the most SNPs and the highest resolution available in a single
experiment, making it easier to pinpoint genomic regions associated with
disease.
Innovative
one-primer assay
The
Mapping 10K is able to scale to such a high degree because of Affymetrix’
new GeneChip Mapping assay. This assay does not rely on locus-specific
PCR or multiplex PCR, so researchers can assay 10,000 SNPs using a
single PCR primer, instead of making and managing thousands of primer
pairs. This dramatically simplifies sample preparation and reduces the
time necessary to do the experiment, as well as the overall cost per
genotype. The Mapping 10K product shows a very high accuracy measured by
concordance with other genotyping methods.
These
features make the Mapping 10K ideal for helping researchers find genes
linked to disease.
·
"Using the
Mapping 10K we found a disease locus in a week's time," said Peter
Nuernberg, Director of the Gene Mapping Center at the Max-Delbruck
Center in Berlin. "With conventional microsatellite analysis this
usually takes several months. The Mapping 10K array technology is
superior to microsatellites and will change the way we do genetic
linkage analysis."
- "The
Mapping10K offers a quicker, easier and higher density alternative
to microsatillites. The
real strength is the flexibility, the ability to use only 250ng DNA
as starting material and the ease of adding additional samples as
needed," said Dr Gabrielle Sellick, Institute of Cancer
Research (Sutton, UK).
- The
Mapping 10K array allowed us to genotype cancer cells much faster
than before and at the same time detect chromosomal copy number
changes, including Loss of Heterozygosity, amplification and
deletion at greater resolution than previously available" said
Dr Richard Wooster, Senior Investigator, Welcome Trust Sanger
Institute. "This
will rapidly advance our understanding of the genetic changes that
arise during the development of cancer."
Large-scale
SNP detection
The
Mapping 10K saves researchers time and gets them to discoveries quicker.
For instance, one technician without any automation can process 100
samples a week, completing a linkage study of 400 individuals and 4
million genotypes in one month. With
limited automation, throughput can be increased dramatically.
The
combination of the photolithographic manufacturing technology that
Affymetrix pioneered over a decade ago and Affymetrix’ new one-primer
assay will scale to 100,000 SNPs and beyond, enabling whole-genome
association studies for the first time.
“We expect the Mapping 10K will change the way that researchers
do whole genome scans for genetic linkage,” said Greg Yap, Affymetrix'
Senior Marketing Director, DNA Analysis. “This powerful new assay will
also enable higher density whole genome scans and we will make a
100,000-SNP assay available in early access by the end of the year.”
For
more information about the Mapping 10K mapping array product, visit www.affymetrix.com,
or contact your local Affymetrix representative.
