NEW YORK, March 27 – Spectral Genomics of Houston launched Tuesday its SpectralChip Human BAC Arrays.
The company said its Human SpectralChip Microarray Kit comes with two arrays with 1,003 non-overlapping BAC clones from the RPCI BAC library, which are spotted in duplicate. The kit also includes reagents and solutions for labeling and hybridization. The BACs span the genome at approximately 3mb intervals, thus only enabling the detection of aberrations greater than 3mb.
The company indicated that its human arrays could be particularly useful as a diagnostic tool for genotyping tumors since the arrays could generate a genome wide molecular profile and quantify chromosomal imbalances on a single chip. Chromosomal imbalances characterize most solid tumors.
The company said that its technology differs from other microarray technologies because it does not require the substrate’s surface to be modified through chemical processes that involve poly-L-lysine or silane. Instead, Spectral Genomics uses a proprietary chemical coupling of large DNA fragments to untreated surfaces.
“DNA glass microarrays produced by this method have several major advantages over traditional glass microarrays," Shishir Shah, president of Spectral Genomics, said in a statement.
Shah was not immediately available for comment.
Last week Spectral Genomics introduced a similar mouse BAC array.