BlueGnome this week launched two SNP microarrays to detect copy number imbalance at high resolution and loss of heterozygosity/uniparental isodysomy in the same assay.
The company has introduced the CytoChip SNP 4x180K array for the investigation of constitutional samples. The new chip is based on the International Standards for Cytogenomic Arrays consortium's consensus design, and includes SNP-specific probes that enable 10-megabase LOH detection.
The second new array, called CytoChip Cancer SNP 4x180K, includes a gene-enriched design for copy number imbalance, plus SNP probes that offer 5-megabase LOH detection. BlueGnome said that it intends to extend the range of SNP array designs available in the future.
A company spokesperson told BioArray News this week that the new chips are manufactured by Agilent Technologies. She said that one advantage of using a SNP array is that "you can detect conditions caused by UPD/LOH, which would be missed by array [comparative genomic hybridization] alone," as they are copy-number-neutral aberrations.
OriGene Technologies this month released the latest version of its TrueMAB monoclonal antibodies portfolio. The launch expands the company's offering to more than 7,500 antibodies in total. The antibodies can be used in various immunoassays, including those based on protein microarrays.