Affymetrix Adds New Tools for Targeted Genotyping Market to Accelerate Disease Studies

Affymetrix, Inc. today launched new Axiom™ myDesign™ Targeted Genotyping (TG) Arrays for the targeted genotyping market, enabling researchers to study mutations in disease pathways and characterize gene-gene interactions.

This latest advancement allows researchers to design custom arrays to genotype 1,500 to 2.6 million markers per sample and rapidly transition from genome-wide scans to specific disease analyses with different experimental approaches on the same platform. In addition to Axiom myDesign TG Arrays, Affymetrix released a new version of the Axiom™ Genomic Database containing 11 million variants, making it the industry’s largest supply of validated genomic markers.

By expanding the scale of its Axiom Genomic Database and utilizing the flexibility of the GeneTitan® System, Affymetrix delivers a powerful customizable genotyping solution that eases budget constraints and streamlines workflows. With this new capability, researchers can leverage the Axiom™ Genotyping Solution to explore regions of interest found in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), validate novel SNPs from sequencing experiments, or ramp up candidate gene projects with Axiom myDesign TG Arrays.

“Axiom myDesign TG Arrays will help researchers to quickly evaluate interesting variants from their GWAS, sequencing and candidate gene initiatives without limiting the number of markers in their study," said Andy Last, Chief Commercial Officer of Affymetrix. "Customers who want to add newly discovered content after they complete the initial design can benefit from our new flexible content capability without switching platforms.”
Researchers can use the Axiom™ Design Center to configure their arrays using content from the Axiom Genomic Database or submit their own sequence from SNP discovery. This convenient, online tool allows researchers to select the most informative SNPs for their study and work with the Affymetrix Bioinformatics Services team to finalize their design.

The Axiom Genomic Database, with 11 million rare and common variants with minor allele frequency (MAF) greater than 1 percent, is derived from sources such as NHGRI, the International HapMap, and 1000 Genomes Project. Each marker is annotated by MAF, linkage disequilibrium (LD), and haplotype information, as well as SNP classification and biological function. The database also contains approximately 4 million SNPs associated with key processes or pathways important to the study of pharmacogenomics genes, cardiovascular disease, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, and inflammatory and immunity disease, as well as genes from the Sanger Cancer Gene Census and previous association studies.

Axiom myDesign TG Arrays are available to configure and order effective immediately. To learn more about Axiom myDesign Targeted Genotyping Arrays and the new Axiom Genomic Database, please visit the company article page.