NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Caliper Life Sciences today said that it has signed a co-marketing agreement with Covaris to combine technologies aimed at next-generation sequencing workflows.
The Hopkinton, Mass.-based firm said that the partners will leverage Caliper's automation and microfluidics technologies and Covaris' acoustic DNA-shearing platforms to develop automated workflows.
Among Caliper's sample-preparation technologies for next-gen sequencing applications are the LabChip XT for nucleic acid fractionation, the LabChip GX for library quantification and sizing, the recently launched LabChip DS for purity and quality control, the Zephyr Genomics Workstation for automated nucleic acid extraction and reaction setup, and the Sciclone NGS Workstation, which includes validated protocols for library preparation, sequence capture, and sample normalization.
Covaris' isothermal and non-contact sample prep technologies accelerate the process by "providing a highly predictable and reproducible DNA shearing instrumentation, consumables, and applications to the next-gen workflow," according to the Caliper statement.
"This collaboration is a logical next step toward simplifying workflows for scientists challenged with meeting the growing demands of next generation sequencing sample preparation," Caliper President and CEO Kevin Hrusovsky said. "As sequencing technologies move from the lab bench to the clinic, it is critical that integrated solutions offer consistency and sample tracking."
The alliance is the latest in a series for Caliper aimed at expanding its presence in the next-gen sequencing space. Last month, it teamed with NuGen Technologies to co-market their sample preparation products for next-gen sequencing applications. And in October, Caliper signed a co-marketing deal with Illumina to offer Caliper's library sample preparation and analysis and quality control tools with Illumina's genome sequencing platforms.