Agilent Technologies has announced the availability of its new SurePrint microarrays, which contain more than 240,000 features
These DNA microarrays are optimized for applications such as gene expression, array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH), array-based chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-on-chip), methylation, splice-variant analysis and microRNA studies.
"The new microarrays address two major needs of academic and industry scientists," said Nick Roelofs, vice president and general manager, Agilent Life Sciences Solutions Unit.
"First, by printing multiple arrays on a standard 1x3inch slide, we allow users to design ever-larger, more powerful gene-expression experiments very cost effectively.
"Second, the dramatic increase in genomic coverage lets researchers use the superior performance of Agilent's SurePrint arrays in a growing number of high-resolution genomic tiling applications".
Agilent will offer a variety of formats to allow researchers to optimize the density and the number of microarrays on each slide.
These include a single array with 244,000 features and 2-, 4- and 8-array formats containing 105,000, 44,000 and 15,000 features per array, respectively.
The new 244,000-feature arrays represent a five-fold increase in density compared with the previous series.
Agilent expects to achieve even higher resolution printing capabilities in the near future.
In addition, to enable the widest possible range of experimentation, Agilent launched eArray in March 2006.
This web-based portal allows customers to rapidly design custom microarrays at no additional cost.
"We are very excited about these new products," said Kevin Meldrum, Agilent director of genomics marketing, "We consulted with current and potential customers during the development process and received positive feedback on our strategy.
"Whether conducting basic research or pre-clinical toxicology studies, customers were enthusiastic about conducting more science with a fixed number of research dollars".
"We believe these new microarrays will open up new possibilities for researchers already purchasing from commercial suppliers and those considering a switch from so-called 'homebrew' arrays."
