Applied Biosystems has made available software to view the 150,000 SNP assays from its completed genome-wide human SNP map. The free SNPbrowser software, which can be downloaded here http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser, also comprises links to TaqMan Assays-on-Demand products. ABI said the software enables researchers to query the physical location of SNPs on the chromosome and linkage disequilibrium maps, and view the boundaries of putative haplotype blocks.
The SNP data that SNPbrowser can view are the result of ABI’s analysis of more than 40 million genotypes of more than 150,000 SNP-genotyping assays.
Separately, ABI has launched two real time PCR-based forensic testing kits for sexual-assault crime scenes. The products, the Quantifiler Human DNA Quantification Kit and the Quantifiler Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit, may enable analysts to quantify the amount of amplifiable DNA present in a sample before forensic analyses.