Roche and Labcyte Inc. will cooperate around high-speed, miniaturized quantitative PCR (qPCR) to monitor the expression of tens to thousands of genes for therapeutic research.
The RealTime ready Cell Lysis kit from Roche enables gene expression directly from cell lysates. Coupled with Echo liquid handlers and newly-released tissue culture microplates from Labcyte, researchers can greatly simplify high-throughput qPCR analyses. This process can be fully automated using the Access Workstation from Labcyte which integrates the Echo liquid handler with either the LightCycler 480 or LightCycler 1536 Instrument. Gene expression profiles derived in a one-step process directly from cells can now be streamlined into a simple automated workflow, significantly increasing productivity.
“The LightCycler 480 and 1536 Systems are designed for high-throughput gene detection, gene expression, and genetic variation analysis. Unlike other high throughput systems on the market that offer greater than 384 well capability, the Lightcycler 1536 allows for individual well to well addressability and optimization due to its true qPCR nature,” said Dr. Matthias Hinzpeter, Project Leader qPCR/NAP Systems. “This integrated platform reduces data costs associated with gene expression profiling, allowing efficient incorporation of qPCR into the early stages of drug discovery.”
“The Echo liquid handlers use acoustic energy to transfer precise nanoliter volumes of samples, primers, probes and real-time PCR reagents,” said Stephen Bates, Labcyte Senior Vice President. “Our patented acoustic dispensing eliminates the need for pipette tips and completely removes the risk of cross contamination. The simplicity of plate reformatting and cherry picking features in our Echo software applications suite maximizes PCR layout flexibility without fixed format constraints.”
Date: December 6, 2011
Source: Roche