Biodiscovery has announced the release of Nexus Copy Number version 4, a platform independent application for DNA copy number analysis of microarray derived data.
This latest version of the Nexus Copy Number software offers features such as an algorithm for SNP arrays that combines log ratio and B-allele frequency values to segment the genome; detection of loss of hetrozygosity (LOH) and allelic imbalance calls for SNP array data; predictive power analysis for continuous data types; a query tool for listing genomic events for multiple genes or regions; and a one-click data loading tool.
'One of the main new features allows Nexus to take advantage of B-allele frequency values from SNP array data to both improve segmentation results as well as report allelic events, such as LOH, allelic imbalance, and copy neutral LOH,' said Dr Soheil Shams, chief scientist of Biodiscovery.
Nexus Copy Number can integrate and process together, in a single project, data from commercial array platforms such as Agilent, Affymetrix, Illumina and Roche Nimblegen, as well as custom arrays.
The software is applicable to many studies from focused projects of a cytogeneticist to large-scale cancer studies.
Biodiscovery offers Nexus Copy Number in two editions: Standard and Discovery.
The Standard Edition has all necessary tools for copy number analysis of CGH and SNP arrays including customisable reports listing aberrant regions and copy number and allele event calls; minimum regions of aberration among a set of samples; individual sample results; and a genomic browser with customisable annotation tracks for such items as genes, CNVs, exons, probes and genetics diseases/disorders.
The Discovery Edition adds features that aid exploration of data for more research-based use.
These include clustering based on similar aberration profiles, identification of statistically different regions of change between sample sub-groups, gene ontology enrichment analysis, survival analysis and integration of external data such as gene expression.
