Launch of the First Complete Kit for Whole Genome Amplification and Labeling for ArrayCGH Analysis

Kreatech Biotechnology BV announces the launch of the "Genome-pULSe, arrayCGH Whole Genome Amplification and Labeling Kit" the latest addition to their product portfolio for arrayCGH analysis.

This kit combines QIAGEN's whole genome amplification (WGA) technology, which allows amplification of very small amounts of genomic DNA isolated from tissue or cells, with Kreatech's ULS(tm) reagents necessary to label these samples for arrayCGH analysis, thereby offering a more complete solution to
scientists carrying out arrayCGH analysis. The Genome-pULSe Kit is available with the ULS(tm) labeling molecule bound to Cy(tm)3 and Cy(tm)5 dyes licensed from GE Healthcare. The WGA technology included in the kit is the REPLI-g(r) kit from QIAGEN.

ArrayCGH analysis of particular samples, such as small needle tumor biopsies, can be limited by the small amount of sample available. Traditional methods of genomic DNA amplification include the time-consuming process of creating EBV-transformed cell lines followed by whole genome amplification using random or degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR. However, all PCR-based methods can generate non-specific amplification artefacts, resulting in the incomplete coverage of loci. In addition to this, conventional methods that are based on enzymatic incorporation of modified nucleotides used to label the amplified DNA for subsequent microarray analysis could further increase the bias in locus
representation.

The Genome-pULSe Kit delivers a novel procedure for the uniform amplification and subsequent direct (non-enzymatic) labeling of whole genome DNA from small samples. This method has been designed to provide a quick and highly reproducible amplification and labeling procedure for arrayCGH analysis.