Oligo array-based comparative genomic hybridization (Oligo aCGH) microarrays give more than a five-fold increase in density over previous offerings while maintaining sensitivity and reproducibility
Agilent Technologies has announced the availability of oligo array-based comparative genomic hybridization (Oligo aCGH) microarrays with more than a five-fold increase in density over previous offerings while maintaining the platform's superior sensitivity and reproducibility.
The CGH technique is used to study DNA-copy number variations associated with a wide range of genetically related diseases including cancer and developmental syndromes such as Autism, Parkinson's and Praeder-Willi.
Agilent's Oligo aCGH platform enables researchers to study these variations on a genome-wide scale at high resolution with extreme sensitivity and specificity.
At the April meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, scientists discussed the results of a study of a unique sample set of 20 advanced prostate cancers, consisting of hormone-refractory prostate cancers (HR-PRCA) and untreated metastatic lesions (MET-PRCA) using Agilent aCGH microarrays.
"In our hands, the high-density arrays are providing excellent resolution and good quality, including detection of novel single gene amplifications and homozygous deletions, which we were unable to detect with previous methods," said Olli Kallioniemi of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Agilent's 60-mer probes provide superior sensitivity, enabling researchers to accurately detect aberrations from heterogeneous populations of cells commonly found in standard tumor biopsies.
Researchers can also access Agilent's database of approximately eight million predesigned and computationally validated CGH probes via the eArray online design tool to rapidly create custom designs that pinpoint genomic regions of interest.
Agilent offers catalogue and custom microarrays for human and mouse, with additional model organisms being added in the near future.
These microarrays will be available in two formats: a single microarray per slide with more than 244,000 features, or two microarrays per slide each with more than 105,000 features.
"Agilent pioneered the commercial use of Oligo aCGH microarrays, and this method is quickly becoming the industry standard for the study of chromosomal aberrations," said Hailing Sun, Agilent product manager.
"With excellent probe sensitivity and a five-fold increase in coverage, the 244K microarrays enable the highest precision in mapping chromosome breakpoints and identification of micro-aberrations that cannot be detected by other technology platforms.
"The two-array format lets researchers run two samples on a single slide, providing significant reduction in cost per experiment.
"The next phase of our commercial plan is to make this technology more broadly accessible to the research community".
In addition to the new microarrays, Agilent has made the protocol more robust by releasing the Genomic DNA Labeling Kit Plus, which includes all components for two-colour fluorescent labeling of genomic DNA samples.
Combined with the newly improved low-input protocol, researchers can now analyze precious clinical samples containing much less starting DNA material.
