NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Fluidigm said this week it has entered into a licensing agreement with Baylor Genetics for a next-generation sequencing library prep assay for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.
Under the terms of the agreement, Fluidigm has the right to commercialize the CFTR prep assay for research use on its Juno automated microfluidic system.
The assay is intended to identify variants from each of the 27 exons in the CFTR gene as well as certain intronic regions. Mutations in the CFTR gene are the cause of cystic fibrosis — while conventional genotyping approaches had traditionally been used to identify them, NGS could enable more comprehensive analysis of the variants.
"The combination of a rapid, accurate library prep workflow, followed by NGS, has allowed us to create a streamlined, cost-effective approach for CFTR sequencing," Baylor Genetics CSO Shashikant Kulkarni said in a statement. "We realized the benefit of the microfluidic technology, and our agreement with Fluidigm has allowed us to move forward quickly."
Fluidigm CEO Chris Linthwaite added that this deal "represents a great example of how we are developing an expanding menu of high-value genetic assays for use with Fluidigm microfluidic systems."