CARLSBAD, Calif., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced an expanded Ion AmpliSeq product line with the launch of new breakthrough Comprehensive Cancer and Inherited Disease Panels. These first of kind panels, when coupled with Ion AmpliSeq Designer V1.2, Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit 2.0 and the new Ion Reporter Software, represent complete solutions for scientists researching the genetic basis of human diseases.

Sequencing the millions of cancer research samples stored in bio-repositories around the world is a primary unmet need of the cancer research community. Analyzing these samples using next generation sequencing (NGS) has been difficult, as typically only nanogram amounts of DNA can be isolated, far less than current commercial protocols require. In addition, NGS creates a flood of data, requiring expensive bioinformatics expertise to interpret. The latest set of Ion AmpliSeq and Ion Reporter products from Ion Torrent offer turn-key solutions to overcome these challenges.

Bringing Simplicity and Speed to Disease Research Workflows

Ion AmpliSeq Panels, whether predesigned and therefore ready-to-use, or custom built to probe specific genes of interest, deliver a simplified, single day workflow comprising target selection, amplification, sequencing and analysis. Further, when using Ion Reporter Software, the integrated workflow also includes annotated readout detailing the biological significance of observed gene mutations. The breakthrough Ion AmpliSeq technology requires only tens of nanograms of input DNA, compared to technologies offered by other companies that require hundreds of nanograms or even micrograms of starting material.Orthogonal confirmation of variants observed with Ion AmpliSeq Panels is readily accomplished by selecting from 4.5 million ready-to-use TaqMan SNP Genotyping assays or by designing a custom TaqMan assay. TaqMan assays deliver "gold standard" sensitivity and specificity for SNP genotyping, and they may be analyzed in standard or digital PCR mode if increased sensitivity is required to detect low frequency or somatic mutations.

Scalability Demonstrated With Latest Edition of Ion AmpliSeq Designer Software

Initially launched in March, Ion AmpliSeq Designer has been immediately adopted by researchers world-wide, with over 1,000 custom designs submitted since inception. Ion AmpliSeq Designer Version 1.2 provides an additional leap in performance by generating up to 3,072 amplicons in a single tube allowing capture of up to 1 Mb of genetic sequence. This high level of multiplexing streamlines the workflow by ensuring that only 1 or 2 primer pools are needed for custom designs and also reduces the amount of input DNA required for analysis. Ion AmpliSeq Designer delivers exceptional performance, with target design rates and coverage uniformity up to 98%.

Improved Performance of Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel

In October of 2011 Ion Torrent launched the Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel, which has quickly become the product of choice for scientists working to advance clinical cancer research. Now, by pairing this 46 gene cancer hot spot panel with the new Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit 2.0, scientists can detect rare somatic mutations and enjoy 98% coverage uniformity and further reductions in strand bias.

New Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel

With input from leading cancer research institutions, the Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel (CCP) reveals tumor mutation profiles and is optimized for use with formalin fixed paraffin embedded, (FFPE) tissues. This panel allows sensitive, high coverage detection of rare genetic variants by employing more than 16,000 primer pairs targeting over 400 genes involved in tumor formation. Compared to whole exome sequencing, Ion AmpliSeq CCP requires only 40 ng of input DNA, has a significantly lower price, and provides nearly 10-fold better coverage of individual genes, providing better sensitivity and specificity to detect somatic mutations.The Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel delivers exceptional quality, with coverage uniformity and on target bases both greater than 90%.

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New Breakthrough Ion AmpliSeq™ Technology Delivers the Most Rapid and Comprehensive Sequencing of Gene Mutations to ...