Fluidigm Corporation today
announced that it has secured co-exclusive licenses to Stanford University
inventions that detect fetal genetic characteristics in maternal plasma,
including the use of a combination of digital PCR* and high-throughput
sequencing.
These licenses specifically cover a technique announced by a group of
Stanford researchers several months ago that counted chromosomes by
finding trace amounts of fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood. The
paper -- Noninvasive Diagnosis of Fetal Aneuploidy by Shotgun Sequencing
DNA from Maternal Blood -- was published in the October 6, 2008 issue of
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Because small amounts
of fetal DNA are present in maternal blood quite early in pregnancy,
researchers believe this technique can provide a much earlier and safer
diagnosis for fetal aneuploidy than is now available.
"The research that combines Fluidigm's digital PCR technology and
high-throughput sequencing is a breakthrough in the quest for a
non-invasive means of diagnosing fetal aneuploidy," said Gajus
Worthington, Fluidigm President and CEO. "By combining these technologies,
the researchers were able to detect over-representation of chromosomes
from the fetus."
The licenses specifically cover Stanford University inventions relating
to:
-- Non-invasive Fetal Genetic Screening by Digital Analysis;
-- Noninvasive Diagnosis of Fetal Aneuploidy by Sequencing; and
-- Digital PCR Enables Rapid Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Aneuploidy.
In an earlier Stanford University press release, Stephen Quake**, PhD,
professor of bioengineering and the study's senior author said, "This
technique is on the leading edge of a flood of different ways that rapid
DNA sequencing will be used in medicine. Non-invasive testing will be much
safer than current approaches."
Researchers used Fluidigm's integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) to count
individual molecules -- using the company's digital PCR technology -- to
set the exact parameters for sequencing steps that helped determine the
amounts of critical fetal DNA.
Fluidigm is the only company today offering a commercially proven digital
PCR system. The company's BioMark(TM) Digital Array is an IFC designed
specifically for digital PCR. This chip partitions a sample premixed with
PCR reagents into 765 replicate reactions, thus allowing the absolute
quantification of target sequences. Digital arrays transform digital PCR
into a straightforward approach for PCR applications demanding extreme
accuracy of copy number. In contrast, when performed on traditional
technologies such as microwell plates or assays, digital PCR has proven to
be an impractical technique.
About Fluidigm
Fluidigm develops, manufactures and markets proprietary Integrated Fluidic
Circuit (IFC) systems that significantly improve productivity in life
science research. Fluidigm's IFCs enable the simultaneous performance of
thousands of sophisticated biochemical measurements in extremely minute
volumes. These "integrated circuits for biology" are made possible by
miniaturizing and integrating liquid handling components on a single
microfabricated device. Fluidigm's IFC systems, consisting of
instrumentation, software and single-use IFCs, increase throughput,
decrease costs and enhance sensitivity compared to conventional laboratory
systems. Fluidigm products have not been cleared or approved by the Food
and Drug Administration for use as a diagnostic and are only available for
research use.
For more information, please visit Fluidigm.
* Digital PCR is a technique to quantify the amount of DNA in a sample by
counting amplifications from single molecules.
** Stephen Quake is a co-founder of Fluidigm and the chair of the
company's scientific advisory board. He is a co-chair of the
bioengineering department at Stanford University and one of the world's
leading experts in microfluidics.
Fluidigm