A recent independent feature in Technology Review Magazine calls Fluidigm's technology 'a fundamental breakthrough in how researchers can interact with the biological world'.
The Fluidigm Biomark System is said to revolutionise how biologists can conduct single-cell gene expression experiments.
Using microfluidic chips, the Biomark System features low input requirements and provides the sensitivity and assay throughput necessary for qPCR.
Using standard Taqman and DNA binding dye assays, Fluidigm's proprietary Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) technology enables single-cell discovery with the ability to screen hundreds of genes from single cells.
With this technology it is now possible to conduct up to 36,000 PCR reactions in one day with one technician and one Biomark System.
Designed for gene-expression studies and digital PCR, the Biomark System is claimed to set the new standard for high-throughput real-time qPCR assays, integrating thermal cycling and fluorescence detection on Digital Array IFCs and Dynamic Array IFCs.
Fluidigm technology is based on the Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) systems that improve productivity in life-science research.
Fluidigm's IFCs enable the simultaneous performance of PCR reactions in nanolitre volumes.
These 'integrated circuits for biology' are made possible by miniaturising and integrating liquid-handling components on a single microfluidic device.
Fluidigm's systems, consisting of instrumentation, software and single-use chips, increase throughput, decrease costs and enhance sensitivity compared with conventional laboratory systems.
The Biomark System consists of a real-time PCR instrument, the Dynamic Array IFCs for multiplexing the samples and reagents, and an IFC loader to load the IFCs.
