Dovetail Genomics Omni-C Assay

Dovetail Genomics has launched the Omni-C, a new assay based on the Hi-C method for chromosome conformation capture.

Scotts Valley, California-based Dovetail said it designed the assay for ease of use and improved reproducibility. The firm claims the assay offers better coverage compared to standard Hi-C approaches, by using an endonuclease, rather than restriction enzymes, to digest cross-linked chromatin.

Traditional restriction enzyme-based Hi-C approaches generate data only near the restriction enzyme sites, resulting in gaps of information. By using an endonuclease, Omni-C enables coverage of a significant portion of the genome that does not contain these restriction sites, estimated to be around 20 percent in human genomes. 

Applications for Omni-C include structural genetic variant detection and generating genome assemblies.