Rubicon Genomics said last week that it has tapped Zygem to market its PicoPlex single-cell amplification kits in Australia and New Zealand.
Rubicon, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., said that the three-step, three-hour PicoPlex process can obtain the same amount of genomic data from a single human cell or 10,000 cells, with minimal background.
Using the PicoPlex technology, researchers can lyse single cells and amplify their DNA 1 million-fold, Rubicon said. The amplified DNA can then be analyzed using qPCR, microarrays, and sequencing instruments for research or diagnostic purposes, the company said.
PicoPlex is currently used in pre-implantation genetic diagnostics and screening of human embryos, Rubicon said, and is expected to be used to amplify genomic DNA from circulating tumor cells, tumor tissue, stem cells, and forensic samples.
"The PicoPlex technology nicely complements Zygem's advanced DNA extraction products, and we are looking forward to bringing this … technology to the markets we serve in Australia and New Zealand," Zygem CEO Paul Kinnon said in a statement.
Rubicon's agreement with Zygem follows a 2009 agreement to incorporate Zygem's enzymatic nucleic acid extraction technology into Rubicon's pre-analytical platform products to improve the performance of DNA and RNA analytical instruments, the companies said.