First FFPE kit for oligo CGH microarrays

Published: 29-Aug-2007

Researchers have developed new labelling technology that allows scientists to analyse millions of previously inaccessible paraffin-embedded tissue samples.


Researchers have developed new labelling technology that allows scientists to analyse millions of previously inaccessible paraffin-embedded tissue samples.

Developed by Agilent Technologies and Kreatech Biotechnology, these kits enable oligo microarray comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) analysis of DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples.

The method is based on Kreatech's Universal Linkage System (ULS) technology, a non-enzymatic direct labelling methodology that has been optimised for Agilent oligo CGH microarrays.

"One of the key advantages of our ULS labelling technology is that it eliminates the bias often found with enzymatic labelling methods, so one can label DNA of any fragment size," said Dimitri Pappaioannou, senior product manager at Kreatech.

"Now researchers can harness the high resolution, genome-wide copy number change profiling capabilities of the Agilent aCGH platform using FFPE samples," said Dione Bailey, Agilent CGH product manager. "Given the rapid adoption of CGH versus classical techniques such as spectral karyotyping, FISH, and BAC arrays, we anticipate the release of this kit will further expand this growing market."

There are an estimated 400 million FFPE-preserved samples in tissue banks worldwide, and the DNA in these samples has been considered too degraded to use in microarray analysis techniques such as aCGH, a powerful method for studying DNA copy number variation in cancers and genetic disorders.

Chris Jones, who works in the paediatric molecular pathology department of the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, UK, said: "We have a large number of FFPE samples across many tumour types that have been previously inaccessible. As an initial priority we have a series of approximately 90 clinical samples from which data can now be retrieved using this new extraction and labelling approach."

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