NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – LGC Genomics and Covaris announced late on Wednesday a partnership to develop solutions for the high-throughput extraction of nucleic acids from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples.
The firms will integrate LGC Genomics' DNA purification solution with Covaris' FFPE extraction workflow to offer "a complete solution, from FFPE tissue to high quality DNA, suitable for high-throughput applications with the ability to process thousands of FFPE samples per week," they said.
LGC Genomics is the genomics division of the international laboratory services firm LGC Group and has expertise in providing DNA extraction solutions. It began offering nucleic acid extraction services in North America this past January through its office in Beverly, Mass., as PCR Insider reported at the time. The company also has offices in the UK and Germany.
Based in Woburn, Mass., Covaris is a provider of tools and technologies for pre-analytical sample preparation, and recently launched a kit for high-yield DNA extraction from FFPE tissue samples. It said that its Adaptive Focused Acoustic technology emulsifies and separates the paraffin, while also rehydrating the tissue sample in an aqueous solution. Its workflow improves reproducibility, reduces hands-on time, and "ensures the seamless integration with next-generation sequencing and other analytical applications," it and LGC Genomics said.
"This collaboration will provide a solution to overcome traditional short-comings and barriers," Covaris CEO Jam Laugharn said in a statement. "We will improve the extraction workflow and provide higher quality samples and higher quality results in a high-throughput environment."
The companies did not disclose financial or other terms of the deal.