Aug 28 2008
Fluidigm Corporation, the inventor of integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), today announced that LGC, an international leader in laboratory services and measurement standards, has purchased a BioMark(TM) System for genetic analysis for use in its United Kingdom laboratories. The system, with its integrated fluidic circuit technology, adds digital PCR to LGC’s existing range of capabilities, which includes quantitative PCR, genotyping, gene expression, copy number variation and absolute quantification for sequencing.
The addition of IFC technology to LGC’s portfolio will further enhance the range of services that LGC currently offers to its customers. LGC is the first company in the UK to purchase the system. Initial LGC work with IFC technology will focus on digital PCR and gene expression opportunities within the company’s Research & Technology Division, but further application across the company’s three other divisions &ndash LGC Standards, Life & Food Sciences and LGC Forensics -- is anticipated.
“We are thrilled to be working with LGC to bring Fluidigm’s integrated circuit for biology to researchers in the UK,” said Gajus Worthington, President and CEO, Fluidigm. “LGC’s reputation for uncompromised quality makes it a perfect partner to introduce the special capabilities of integrated fluidic circuit technology and our BioMark system to life science researchers. As an international leader in scientific excellence and technical measurement, LGC is well-suited to exploit the increasing opportunities for more accurate DNA quantification that digital PCR offers.”
Dr. Derek Craston, Director of LGC’s Research & Technology Division and the Government Chemist, commented on this latest addition to LGC’s portfolio: “LGC is pleased to add Fluidigm’s BioMark System to our portfolio. The system will initially be used by the scientific teams in LGC’s Research & Technology Division to look at the accurate quantification of rare target sequences for applications such as health diagnostics and monitoring the efficiency of drug therapies.”
The BioMark System uses integrated fluidic circuit technology to reduce complexity, improve throughput with nanoliter precision and provide significant cost-savings (less reagent and smaller samples) for high-throughput genotyping applications. Fluidigm’s new BioMark™ 96.96 Dynamic Array is capable of performing 9,216 simultaneous real-time PCR experiments running gold-standard TaqMan® assays in nanoliter quantities.
Researching all aspects of digital PCR, from quantification through standardization and comparing it to other methods used today should help the UK biotech industry be at the forefront of today’s industry. This is just one of many exciting cutting-edge investigations that IFC technology can enable for the LGC.