NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Roche and Precision System Science today said that they will partner on the development of a PCR-based instrument from sample preparation in next-generation sequencing workflows.
The new system is intended to support Roche's GS Junior and GS FLX+ systems as well as sequencing platforms currently in development by Roche. It will be designed to streamline sample prep by automating the entire emulsion PCR process, reducing the total hands-on time from several hours to a few minutes, the firms said.
"The automated solution will not only improve the efficiency of laboratory workflows, but also increase the reproducibility of results by eliminating manual workload," Dan Zabrowski, head of Roche Applied Science, said in a statement.
The alliance builds on a relationship between the firms dating back 15 years, when they first started to collaborate on automated DNA extraction technology. That partnership resulted in the development and commercialization of nucleic acid purification products, they said.
Further terms of the alliance announced today were not disclosed.
Matsudo, Japan-based PSS specializes in lab instruments for nucleic acid extraction and automated instruments.