OGT Releases New CytoSure™ Microarray for Research into Hematological and Solid Cancers

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), provider of innovative genetics research and biomarker solutions to advance molecular medicine, has released a new microarray to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cancer research. The CytoSure™ Cancer +SNP array (4x180k) combines long oligo array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) probes with fully validated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) content, providing the superior detection of both copy number variations (CNVs) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on a single chip. The array has been optimized in collaboration with Professor Jacqueline Schoumans from the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, an expert in both aCGH and cancer genomics. Unique to the proprietary CytoSure™ Cancer +SNP array, any reference sample can be used for analysis without changes to the standard aCGH protocol and, thanks to novel SNP probe chemistry, no restriction digest is required. The capacity to use matched samples is a particular advantage for research into genetic aberrations in cancer, enabling any constitutional abnormalities to be filtered out.

Professor Schoumans commented: “The development of a new microarray with the capacity to detect both CNVs and LOH simultaneously was vital for improving the efficiency and quality of our research. By working very closely with the technical experts at OGT, we have constructed a new array that allows users to simultaneously screen a wide genomic background for CNVs and LOH, while also enabling in-depth CNV analysis on 1500 known cancer-associated genes. This approach produces accurate and insightful data, with all aberrations clearly highlighted and filtered using OGT’s excellent CytoSure Interpret Software.”

The 60-mer oligonucleotide probes utilized in the array provide a high signal-to-noise ratio and highly sensitive detection; this makes them ideal for research into complex malignant tissues. Thanks to OGT’s CytoSure Interpret Software, data analysis is rapid, reliable and simple to carry out, including updated features, such as the B-allele frequency plot, that have been optimized for the identification of biologically relevant genomic variants in tumor samples.

James Clough, Executive Vice President Commercial at OGT, said: “The new CytoSure™ Cancer +SNP array forms part of OGT’s ongoing strategy to design specialized microarrays to help increase our understanding of cancer formation and development. We plan to further add to this portfolio in the coming months, with the introduction of our Cancer Cytogenomics Microarray Consortium (CCMC) array design. By offering both genome-wide CNV and SNP detection, these arrays will prove a valuable tool for efficiently and accurately defining the genetic nature of a given tumor, facilitating research into more efficacious, targeted treatments.”