RainDance Technologies, Inc., a provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for human health and disease research, today announced the first commercial shipment of its RDT 1000 and Sequence Enrichment Solution. The shipment will be delivered to the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in Canada (OICR), a new, innovative institute dedicated to research in the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
OICR will use the RainDance solution – consisting of a RDT 1000, consumables kits, custom PCR primer libraries, and expert training – in its programs involving the discovery and validation of DNA sequence variants associated with cancers. The solution is designed to increase quality and efficiency of performing targeted sequencing on large sample numbers.
“We are looking forward to implementing the RainDance platform at OICR – and to the benefits that the RainDance solution will bring to our programs,” said John McPherson, Director of OICR’s Cancer Genomics Program. “We expect the RainDance solution to become a critical element in accelerating the research phase of our studies that will ultimately result in our understanding of cancer.”
“The shipment to OICR represents a major milestone that exemplifies the power of the RainStorm™ microdroplet-based platform to those driving innovation in human health and disease research,” said Chris McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer of RainDance Technologies. “First, leading genome centers participating in the company’s Early Access Partner program have experienced the value of the RainDance solution. Now, our commercial platform is shipping and gaining acceptance in the rapidly growing sequence enrichment segment of the next-generation sequencing market.”
The RDT 1000 and Sequence Enrichment Solution utilize RainDance’s breakthrough RainStorm™ microdroplet-based technology platform. The simplicity and speed of the technology are designed to maximize the efficiency of next-generation DNA sequencing workflows. The RDT 1000 generates picoliter volume PCR reactions at the rate of 10 million discrete reactions per hour. The high-speed sample processing is further enhanced by the fact that the Sequence Enrichment Solution utilizes a library of PCR primers in droplets enabling the amplification of hundreds to thousands of genomic loci in a single tube. The RainStorm format avoids the limitations of traditional multiplex hybridization and amplification technologies. RainDance’s solution minimizes process-induced bias or error and requires only a few micrograms of genomic DNA.
“All of us at RainDance are grateful for the opportunity to support OICR -- one of the world’s leading centers of cancer research -- in its mission to advance human health,” McNary said.
The commercial version of the Sequence Enrichment Solution is now being shipped in North America and will soon be available for shipment to Europe. For more information, contact [email protected], call 781-861-6300, or visit the company’s website at www.raindancetech.com.