NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will use multiplex gene expression technology from Olympus subsidiary Advalytix to develop molecular diagnostic technologies for personalizing cancer treatment and detection, the company said this week.
Under a collaborative study, the partners will use Advalytix’s AmpliGrid molecular analysis platform to characterize circulating tumor cells in breast cancer patients.
The center will use the platform to help “genetically fingerprint subpopulations of tumor cells with a convenient workflow,” MD Anderson associate professor James Reuben said in a statement.
The study will involve using the AmpliGrid platform along with multiplex primer design, and an integrated workflow to analyze the expression of multiple target genes.
The work will involve measuring heterogeneity by comparing individual tumor cells. Establishing clinical relevance for that heterogeneity requires that the collaborators study a large number of clinical specimens, which the company said the AmpliGrid supports because it integrates the steps each specimen requires, including cell sorting, sample preparation, and PCR.
Further terms of the alliance were not disclosed.