New DEPArray SamplePrep Kit for Analysis of FFPE Tissue Samples

Menarini Silicon Biosystems has announced that it will launch the DEPArray™ FFPE SamplePrep Kit at the upcoming annual meeting of the Association of Molecular Pathology.

The DEPArray SamplePrep Kit is the first commercially available kit for the disaggregation and staining of FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) tissue sections down to a single-cell suspension. The kit enables the detection, identification, and recovery of different cell populations by the DEPArray system based on specific immunofluorescent staining and DNA content, which guarantees the recovery of 100% pure tumor cell populations. Obtaining pure cell populations enhances downstream analysis, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the identification of molecular targets for personalized therapies.

The kit has been tested using FFPE human tissue sections of primary and metastatic keratin-positive carcinomas in lung, breast, colon, pancreas, prostate and ovarian tissues. Analysis of FFPE samples is streamlined by assembling all the reagents into one kit and by providing a standardized protocol that is optimized for the DEPArray system. This can reduce user variability in sorting various cell populations from FFPE tissue, further improving downstream analysis.

The innovative DEPArray FFPE workflow resolves tumor sample heterogeneity by separating pure tumor and stromal cell populations from FFPE tissue. Unlike bulk, unsorted cell population analysis, pure tumor population analysis reveals mutations, homozygosity, and copy-number alterations (CNAs) that enable precise genomic analysis and support therapeutic decision making.

“The FFPE Sample Prep kit is the latest innovation in the successful DEPArray line of products,” said Bob Roda, President and CEO of Menarini Silicon Biosystems Inc. “This kit brings value to laboratories working with this type of tissue sample by standardizing the dissociation protocol and reducing variability while also offering a reduction in total sample prep time.”

As part of the launch, Menarini Silicon Biosystems will be hosting a pre-conference workshop that will introduce attendees to the DEPArray technology and its FFPE application, as well as the importance of obtaining pure cell populations for comprehensive molecular analysis.

The workshop, titled DEPArray Enables Isolation of Pure Tumor Cells from FFPE Samples for Precise Genomic Analysis, will be led by Nina Korzeniewski, PhD National Scientific Affairs Liaison for Menarini Silicon Biosystems. It will take place on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. in Room 214C of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

The Association of Molecular Pathology meeting will be held Nov. 1-3, 2018 in San Antonio.