NanoString Technologies this week launched an assay for detecting genetic copy number variations associated with disease susceptibility, drug response, and cancer progression.
The nCounter Copy Number Variation CodeSets enable researchers to interrogate up to 800 regions of the human genome in a single multiplexed reaction. More specifically, the CodeSets allow researchers to perform the functional equivalent of 9,600 qPCR reactions with an estimated 25 minutes of hands-on time, the Seattle-based firm claimed.
The assay is designed to be run on NanoString's nCounter Analysis System, which relies on a digital quantification technology to generate data with a linear response to increasing copy numbers.
German glass manufacturer Schott this week added 96-well nitrocellulose-coated microplates to its line of Nexterion microarray substrates. The Nexterion MTP-NC96 combines nitrocellulose with a high-throughput, 96-well microplate format, allowing automated parallel assays. The product is available in two formats: one contains a large single 105x69mm pad; the other contains 96 6x6mm pads.
According to Schott, the new offering conforms to the Society for Biomolecular Sciences' standard microplate format commonly used for high-throughput screening and biomarker discovery. The firm's two-component system allows users to array many types of probes on a flat, planar surface, and then create a 96-well microplate post-printing. The nitrocellulose is manufactured using an advanced casting method, producing a surface with an identical performance to the firm's range of nitrocellulose-coated slides, Schott said.