Singapore, December 8, 2009: Fluidigm Corporation which develops, manufactures and markets proprietary Integrated Fluidic Circuit (IFC) systems that significantly improve productivity in life science research announced the release of its 48.48 Access Array integrated fluidic chip (IFC) for 454 FLX users active in Amplicon Tagging. This Access Array IFC automatically generates emPCR-ready libraries by simultaneously combining 48 samples and 48 primer sets to produce 48 uniquely-barcoded samples per chip for approximately $7 (U.S.) per sample.

 

Fluidigm’s Access Array IFC, when used with a 454 FLX sequencer, can capture up to 12 kb of sequence data per sample, or 576 kb per array. Upcoming applications on the Access Array system, such as long range PCR, will allow for users to target up to 480 kb of sequence data per sample, or 23MB per array.

 

“Fluidigm’s Access Array System has already been adopted by users around the world for targeted re-sequencing projects focused on research of cancer, miRNA, and population genetics, where the ability to inexpensively sequence large cohort studies is critical. The flexibility, ease of use, and cost effectiveness of our Access Array system will enable researchers to expand the scope of experiments on next generation sequencers,” said Mike Lee, Fluidigm’s Senior Director of Marketing.    

 

Sequencing library preparation for next-generation sequencers is by far the most time and labor demanding component of the entire next-generation sequencing process. While necessary for whole genome sequencing studies, the process can be almost entirely eliminated for targeted re-sequencing projects through the use of amplicon tagging. By incorporating the adaptor sequences into the primer design, the final PCR product is ready to go into emPCR or onto the flowcell since it already contains the necessary capture sequences.

 

Fluidigm’s new Access Array is the first IFC that features the ability to harvest the sample out of the chip.  Once the sample processing has been completed in the chip it automatically returns the sample to the inlets where they can be easily extracted and readied for sequencing.