Rubicon Provides Genome Amplification For The Cancer Genome Atlas Project

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 14 Oct 2008 - 0:00 PST

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Rubicon Genomics, Inc. announced an agreement with SAIC-Frederick to amplify DNA samples for The Cancer Atlas Genome Project.

Rubicon Genomics was selected to amplify and standardize total genomic DNA from 3,000 tissue and blood samples from cancer patients. The Rubicon GenomePlex(TM) Whole Genome Amplification technology was judged best to amplify clinical DNA samples to the constant concentration and quality necessary for reproducible and accurate analysis using microarrays and PCR. The amplified DNA libraries will be deposited into the International Genomics Consortium Biospecimen Research Core as a renewable resource to be shared among international researchers to completely characterize the genomes of patients with three types of cancer. Their studies will help understand the causes of cancer, as well as how to detect and treat the diseases.

"This agreement is an important technical validation for GenomePlex," said Dr. John Langmore, vice-president of commercial development for Rubicon. "IGC-BRC collaborators were able to show that pre-amplification of patient DNA can increase the sensitivity, reproducibility and robustness of analysis of patient samples using major analytical instruments."

Rubicon provides custom GenomePlex services for major pharmaceutical, diagnostic and institutional customers in order to increase the clinical performance of genetic analysis instruments. GenomePlex kits are also available from Rubicon for diagnostic applications. GenomePlex not only makes analysis of routine frozen tissue more reproducible, but enables difficult clinical samples such as single cells, plasma, serum and formalin-fixed tissue to be analyzed by PCR, microarrays and next-gen sequencing. Furthermore, GenomePlex allows investigators and clinicians to test for multiple analytes from a single small sample, producing more information from clinical samples.

About Rubicon Genomics, Inc.

Rubicon, located in Ann Arbor, MI, is a pre-analytical platform company that has developed and commercialized reagents and kits to increase the analytical and clinical performances of DNA and RNA analysis platforms including Q-PCR, microarrays, and next-gen sequencing. Its GenomePlex(TM), TransPlex(TM), and MethylPlex(TM) products achieve unbiased amplification and standardization of total DNA, total RNA, and methylated DNA. By producing highly pure DNA of uniform concentration and molecular weight these products increase the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of conventional instrumentation in research and diagnostic applications, including analysis of single cells, formalin-fixed tissue and plasma. Rubicon sells GenomePlex and TransPlex services to the research market, as well as licenses and kits to the clinical markets, including pre-implantation and prenatal testing, and diagnostic manufacturing. GenomePlex and TransPlex kits are sold to the research-only market by Sigma-Aldrich. In addition, Rubicon partners with diagnostic companies, using its pre-analytical MethylPlex platform to discover and validate new DNA methylation biomarkers, and to co-develop cancer diagnostic tests.

About IGC

The International Genomics Consortium (IGC) is a non-profit medical research foundation established to expand upon the discoveries of the Human Genome Project and other systematic sequencing efforts by combining world- class genomic research, bioinformatics, and diagnostic technologies in the fight against cancer and other complex genetic diseases. IGC serves numerous common, unmet needs including: the standardization of the collection of properly consented tissues of interest, the molecular characterization of these tissues, and standardization in the representation of these results. IGC facilitates the transition of genomic discoveries to improve patient care and increase the speed in which new diagnostic, prognostic and predictive testing, and new drug and treatment regimens are developed. Founding support for IGC was provided by the City of Phoenix and from Maricopa County.

Rubicon Genomics, Inc.
http://www.rubicongenomics.com