Rubicon Genomics Awarded Key Patent for Next-Generation Sequencing
Rubicon Genomics Receives US Patent to Multiplex Enzymatic Reactions for More Rapid and Efficient Preparation of Sequencing Libraries from Clinical Samples
Ann Arbor, MI and San Diego, CA - March 14, 2011 - Rubicon Genomics, Inc. announced today the award of US Patent 7,803,550 describing methods that allow very small amounts of DNA to be efficiently prepared for high-throughput sequencing. Rubicon will first produce research kits for amplifying picogram amounts of DNA from clinical samples such as plasma, urine, biopsies, and even single cancer cells in a form that can be directly analyzed in the most powerful next-generation sequencing (NGS) instruments. Rubicon anticipates that the combination of its amplification technology with NGS instruments will facilitate earlier and less invasive prenatal and cancer testing. At the X-GEN Congress in San Diego, Rubicon launched the first of the novel NGS kits, called PicoPlex™-NGS, which prepares DNA from single cancer or embryo cells for sequence analysis on the Illumina® GenomeAnalyzer™.
Rubicon has developed technology for preparing and amplifying DNA with multiple enzymes in a single tube in order to rapidly and faithfully increase the number of DNA molecules useful for testing, without introducing contamination. These methods allow very small amounts of biomarker DNA to be tested in the presence of larger quantities of normal DNA usually present in biofluids. The approaches were initially developed in 2006 and used in biomarker discovery and testing projects with diagnostic partners developing non-invasive tests for cancer. While traditional PCR-based assays were sufficient for detecting single mutations and other abnormalities, they cannot detect multiple genetic traits in the same clinical sample, which is necessary for a more complete understanding of disease and appropriate treatment for a specific patient. The development of increasingly faster and higher-throughput sequencing instruments has made it possible to detect thousands or millions of genetic traits across the entire human genome in a single test, as long as accurate methods are used to amplify and prepare the DNA for analysis. The proprietary Rubicon technology enables amplification of DNA directly from clinical samples to meet these specifications.
The PicoPlex™ NGS kit is a derivative of the PicoPlex WGA (whole genome amplification) kit, which has been available since 2009 and has been widely adopted for use in the pre-implantation screening and diagnostics market to test single human blastomeres and oocytes. Both kits contain the No Cell Left Behind™ DNA extraction and amplification reagents. In the IVF field, the PicoPlex WGA kit has been used to test almost 100,000 single human cells to detect aneuploidy using microarrays and familial mutations using PCR. The new PicoPlex NGS kit enables single cells to be prepared for sequencing in three hours, and has been used to sequence flow-sorted single human cells, single mouse chromosomes, and bacteria using the Illumina GenomeAnalyzer. The PicoPlex NGS kits are available directly from Rubicon Genomics.
“PicoPlex-NGS is the first of a series of kits that Rubicon will release in 2011,” said Dr. James Koziarz, President and CEO of Rubicon. “It will find immediate application in sequencing studies of mutations and chromosomal abnormalities in circulating tumor cells that could lead to improvements in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, as well as in studies of fetal cells present in maternal blood that could lead to earlier and more precise prenatal diagnosis.” In Q2, Rubicon will release an additional NGS product, based on the technology covered in the recent US Patent 7,803,550, to enable the sequencing of picogram quantities of degraded tumor DNA in the plasma of cancer patients, and similar amounts of degraded fetal DNA in the maternal plasma. These products will be first available for the Illumina NGS systems, however will later be produced for the other major sequencing platforms as well.
About Rubicon Genomics
Rubicon Genomics, Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, develops and commercializes proprietary technology to facilitate gene-based research, drug development, diagnostics, and forensics. Rubicon kits, services, partnerships, and licenses have enabled biomarker discovery and testing in clinical samples, including plasma and fixed tissue. The technologies are protected by international patents and patent applications. Rubicon is bringing these technologies to the research and diagnostic markets as a series of simple, automatable kits to rapidly prepare specific clinical samples for next-generation sequencing on each of the major sequencing platforms. More information can be found at www.rubicongenomics.com.
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