Bio-Rad Laboratories has launched the iScript RT-qPCR Sample Preparation Reagent, which isolates total RNA and enables reverse transcription and real-time PCR to be performed directly from cell lysates.
The company said that scientists can use the protocol to "efficiently remove genomic DNA and stabilize RNA in as little as five minutes."
According to Bio-Rad, competing RNA-purification methods, "such as organic extraction or column-based methods that include salting out or the use of magnetic particles, require numerous steps to purify RNA without contaminating genomic DNA and can take at least 30 minutes to complete."
The iScript reagent is a single-buffer formulation that contains all the components needed to perform cell lysis, RNA stabilization, and genomic DNA removal. It also enables multiplex real-time detection of up to four targets from as few as 10 cells, Bio-Rad said.
RNA isolated with the iScript RT-qPCR Sample Preparation Reagent is stable for up to six months when stored at -20 degrees Celsius, according to the firm.
WaferGen Biosystems said that it plans to launch in the first quarter of 2010 the Human MicroRNA Panel for its SmartChip real-time PCR service.
The panel will allow users to quantitate 885 microRNAs on a single SmartChip, WaferGen said. The panel includes 12 built-in controls.
Alnoor Shivji, chairman and CEO of WaferGen, said in a statement that the company is first offering the miRNA panel as a service in order to "provide early access to our products and a short-term revenue stream prior to commercialization."
The human microRNA expression profiling service will use sequence information from miRBase version 14.0.
Autogen has released the STAR Automated DNA Extraction Instrument, an automated system for DNA isolation that is optimized for Qiagen chemistry.
The AutoGenFlex STAR relies on a protocol optimized for Qiagen’s FlexiGene chemistry to isolate DNA from 40 blood samples of up to 10 milliliters each and produce 25 to 40 micrograms of DNA per milliliter.
The instrument includes a hand-held barcode scanner, a built-in centrifuge, robotic handling, and removable sample and DNA storage racks.
The company said that the system can isolate DNA from whole blood, buffy coats, tissues, cells, buccal swabs, Oragene saliva, and other sample types. It can generate DNA strands of up to 150 kilobases in length.
Pricing for the instrument begins at $135,900.