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University of Pittsburgh to Test WaferGen's Real-Time PCR System, Oncology Assays

Jan 08, 2008
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – WaferGen said today that the University of Pittsburgh Medical School has agreed to alpha-test its SmartChip Real-Time PCR System and several oncology gene panel assays for the system.
 
WaferGen said the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System is a whole-genome gene expression platform that “promises to deliver significant speed and cost advantages to researchers in the gene expression and genotyping markets.”
 
The company said the system can conduct 33,750 assays on a chip, as compared to 384 assays per plate for standard real-time PCR technologies.
 
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School plan to use the system to identify biomarkers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
 
WaferGen said it is developing additional assays for the system, including toxicology assays, and that it is also developing a higher-throughput version of the system that will allow users to conduct 100,000 assays on a chip.
 
This capability will allow users to use one chip to conduct whole-genome gene expression in triplicate, the company said.

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