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Real-time liquid biopsy
July 2012
EDIT CONNECT
SHARING OPTIONS:
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Fluxion Biosciences Inc.
has
come to an initial agreement to partner with Rubicon
Genomics in a reagent
supply and collaboration program. The collaboration will integrate enrichment
methods for rare cells using Fluxion's IsoFlux
system with Rubicon's technology
for the preparation and amplification of rare cell DNA or RNA using the Rubicon
NovaPLEX family of sample preparation
kits.
Fluxion began working with Rubicon for amplification in
genomic analyses using the Rubicon
PicoPlex single-cell, whole-genome
amplification kit. This product targets the pre-implantation genetic
diagnostics (PGD), cancer research and stem
cell research markets, which
require rapid, reproducible amplification to profile patient genotypes,
karyotypes and mutations. PicoPlex enables
reference labs to begin qPCR,
microarray or sequencing analysis less than three hours after collecting
patient cells. Specifically, the kit
reproducibly amplifies total DNA one
million-fold from single cells to produce five micrograms of amplified DNA in
less than three hours. Next, Fluxion
will use the Rubicon NovaPLEX family of
sample preparation kits for the circulating tumor cells (CTC) project. As part
of this agreement, Fluxion and
Rubicon will apply sample-specific products from
Rubicon's amplification portfolio to samples processed by Fluxion's IsoFlux
System. These amplified
samples will then be optimal for analysis using a
variety of genomics techniques, including NGS and PCR-based approaches.
Access to tumor tissue represents one of the most
significant challenges in characterizing specific cancers. CTCs disseminate
from
primary tumors and enter the peripheral bloodstream in very low
concentrations. These rare circulating cells have shown promise as an
alternative to
biopsies of primary tumor tissue, and can be used to
characterize tumor status at the molecular level. However, many DNA analysis
methods require
higher amounts of genetic material than typically can be collected
from CTCs. Technologies developed by Fluxion and Rubicon provide for
specialized
pre-analytical processing of difficult biological samples and
enable subsequent analysis using sequencing, microarrays or PCR.
"Fluxion's IsoFlux system provides access to scarce cells,"
with a real-time "liquid biopsy" that delivers
high-quality CTC samples
optimized for molecular analysis, says program director Michael Schwartz. The
platform utilizes a proprietary microfluidic
technology to isolate rare cells
with high efficiency.
"The system employs immuno-magnetic
separation via beads
that target antigens on the cell surface. We can use different markers to
isolate different types of cells," Schwartz says.
Samples processed using the IsoFlux System are immediately
ready for downstream analysis. Multiple
analytical techniques can be used with
IsoFlux samples, including mutation detection, gene expression, sequencing and
protein analysis. The system
provides much higher cell recovery rates, Schwartz
states.
"We control the flow path as it crosses the
magnetic field,"
he adds. "The result is fewer background cells and a high yield of cancer
cells. With other systems, it can be tough to remove cells
from the substrate,
but IsoFlux recovers 90 percent of the cells and moves them to downstream
applications such as PCR, FISH, etc. Rubicon products are
the gold standard for
testing for aneuploidies and mutations in single human cells, and for
differential gene expression in formalin-fixed surgical
samples. The Rubicon protocols
are simpler, faster and more robust than the competition, and they also yield
superior analytical results on sequencing,
array and PCR platforms."
Rubicon's core competency is the creation of more efficient
molecular
biology tools for genetic, epigenetic and expression analysis of
difficult clinical samples to facilitate gene-based research, drug development,
diagnostics and forensics. James Koziarz, the company's CEO, notes that,
"Partnering with innovators such as Fluxion is a key element of our strategy
for increasing access to our pre-analytical technologies for improving the
analysis of DNA and RNA from challenging samples. We look forward to
collaborating with Fluxion in the emerging and important field of circulating
tumor cell analysis."
Privately held Rubicon is located in Ann Arbor, Mich. Code: E071219 Back |
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