Life Technologies has launched Ion AmpliSeq custom panels for custom targeted resequencing from samples with very low amounts of DNA such as formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue.
The multiplexed PCR-based Ion AmpliSeq has a one-day workflow and requires 10 nanograms of input DNA and 3.5 hours for library construction — 100 times less DNA and twice as fast as other technologies, the company said. The panels use Life Tech's TaqMan assay design pipeline to create optimized gene panels in as little as 2.5 hours for regions up to 250 kb in size — expanding to 1 Mb later in 2012 — and may contain up to 1,536 amplicons per reaction, the company said.
Ion AmpliSeq Designer, a new online application, enables scientists to design and order the panels for the Ion Personal Genome Machine.
EnviroLogix has launched DNAble, an isothermal DNA test platform for plant pathogen detection.
DNAble is a nucleic acid-based testing platform that isothermally amplifies a target genome for pathogen detection in less than 20 minutes, EnviroLogix said. DNAble uses nicking enzymes to open the double-stranded structure of DNA for amplification. Unlike PCR, DNAble's amplification reaction occurs at one temperature and thus does not require a thermocycler.
The first field kit is designed to detect Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. Michiganensis, or Cmm, in tomato plant tissue. Cmm is a devastating tomato pathogen, potentially destroying both fruit and seed production, EnviroLogix said. DNAble allows the user to accurately detect Cmm on site with excellent sensitivity and specificity, the company added.
Mo Bio Laboratories has launched the PowerMicrobiome RNA isolation kit.
The company said that it is the first available kit optimized for stool and gut material and provides high-quality RNA for use in characterizing the human microbiome. The kit is designed to purify total RNA from samples high in PCR inhibitors, including stool, gut material, dried feces, contaminated buccal swabs, and secretions. Patented Inhibitor Removal Technology ensures complete removal of inhibitory substances from digested food, heme from lysed red blood cells abundant in stool, and other PCR inhibitors. The isolated RNA is ready to use in downstream applications including RT-qPCR and next-generation sequencing, Mo Bio said.