Horizon Diagnostics, a division of Horizon Discovery, has launched its first Quantitative Multiplex DNA Reference Standard.
This standard is intended for researchers assessing multiple biomarkers in a single assay using platforms such as next-generation sequencing.
As multiplex assays and large tumor profiling projects become more common, standardization will be essential to enable confidence in experimental results, HDx said. To date, a significant challenge has been access to reliable, renewable external reference standards, the company added.
HDx's standard enables researchers to quantify a range of detection thresholds for 11 cancer-relevant mutations. This is accomplished across complex samples in a single assay in the form of renewable material originating from precisely engineered cell lines.
The reference standard is available today as genomic DNA and will be available in a matched formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded format in the second quarter of 2013, the company said. The company engineered the mutations into endogenous loci using its proprietary genome editing platform, Genesis; and verified the standard using digital PCR. The product has also undergone extensive validation by external partners using NGS platforms such as Life Tech's Ion Torrent systems. Further validation is planned using Illumina's MiSeq and Sequenom's Mass Array platforms.