Beckman Coulter Genomics has developed a new version of their DNAdvance System specifically for use with DNA Genotek’s Oragene•DNA samples.
DNAdvance SP, from Beckman Coulter Genomics, is an extraction kit for the isolation and purification of DNA from saliva samples collected with Oragene•DNA Self Collection Kits. The high throughput genomic DNA (gDNA) isolation reagent system enables the purification of high quality DNA from saliva samples, making it ideal for genotyping applications (SNP, fragment analysis), sequencing and qPCR. The system provides researchers and laboratories with an optimized and robust solution for DNA extraction and purification from saliva collected with Oragene•DNA kits.
Bassam El-Fahmawi, product manager, strategic marketing with Beckman Coulter Genomics stated: “We chose to develop DNAdvance SP for Oragene•DNA samples because more and more of our customers are using this proven, non-invasive collection method. Customers will see the benefits of our collaboration in the consistent, high quality results delivered by the system.”
Cindy Maccullough, vice president marketing at DNA Genotek commented: “The development of the DNAdvance SP System is a clear sign of the growing interest in non-invasive DNA sample collection in the scientific community. There is an increasing demand for automated extractions from our customer base, and the DNAdvance SP System provides a streamlined extraction process that delivers predictable, quality yields for Oragene•DNA.”
The DNAdvance SP product is available from Beckman Coulter Genomics. For more information, you can contact Beckman Coulter here.
The Genetic Link welcomes guest blog authors. This guest submission is from Megan P. Hitchins, PhD. Medical Epigenetics Laboratory, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. We thank Dr. Hitchins for her submission and welcome her as a guest author. I hope you enjoy this article.
A host of familial cancer syndromes have been described in which several members of the same family develop cancer at a young age due to an inherited genetic susceptibility. It has been well established that germline mutations in the DNA sequence of genes that are protective against cancer, including tumour suppressor and DNA repair genes, are the culprit in most familial cases of cancer. Because they are inherited, these germline mutations are present in every cell of the body from conception into adulthood, knocking out one of the two copies of the protective gene. They confer a high risk of cancer development at a young age, although the cancer itself arises when the remaining normally-functioning copy of the gene is knocked out in susceptible tissues due to contributing environmental conditions, taking with it the last remnants of protection it once afforded against cancer. However, for a number of individuals with young-onset cancer, as well as entire families, the inherited defect remains unidentified, which complicates genetic counselling and clinical management of family members. Lynch syndrome is the most common of all family cancer syndromes, in which patients develop a range of cancers, the most frequent of which are colorectal and uterine cancers. Lynch syndrome is usually caused by germline mutations within one of the four genes that encode the mismatch repair system, most commonly MLH1 or MSH2. Loss of protection from the mismatch repair system results in the accumulation of mutations during cell division, and ultimately, cancer ensues. However, in about a third of Lynch syndrome patients, standard genetic screening fails to identify any pathogenic sequence change within the mismatch repair genes that might be responsible for their disease.
The focus of the Medical Epigenetics Laboratory at the Lowy Cancer Research Centre in Sydney, Australia, led by Megan Hitchins PhD, is to determine the role of a new type of defect, termed a "constitutional epimutation" in predisposing to young-onset cancer syndromes. The first case of a "constitutional epimutation" was reported for the MLH1 gene in a patient with Lynch syndrome in 2002.1 This represents a new epigenetic mechanism of cancer susceptibility, in which the gene's promoter (the equivalent of its engine) is clogged with the chemical methylation, causing the affected copy to be switched off, even though its DNA code is entirely normal. Thus, "epimutation" refers to the nature of the defect, which occurs over and above the context of DNA sequence, whilst "constitutional" denotes the intrinsic presence of this epigenetic defect in normal tissues. Cancer similarly develops after the active copy of the gene is lost in the vulnerable tissues, giving rise to the same clinical profile as carriers of conventional sequence mutations of MLH1. However, one of the key differences between a constitutional epimutation and a sequence mutation is that the gene methylation can be unstable and sometimes show a "mosaic" pattern, that is, it may be present in a patchwork of some cell or tissue-types, whilst absent in others. The level of methylation in the body may even vary during the course of the carrier's life-time. This facet of epimutations adds to the challenge of identifying those who carry them, since their identifying factor - the presence of methylation - may not necessarily be detectable in DNA extracted from a single source, typically peripheral blood. A further complicating factor is that unlike germline mutations that demonstrate classic Mendelian patterns of inheritance, transmission of epimutations from one generation to the next is unpredictable. This non-Mendelian inheritance is attributable to the fact that methylation is stripped away during the reproductive life-cycle, and so epimutations tend to be reversed between generations and may, or may not, be re-imposed after fertilization in the developing fetus. Indeed, it is likely that the degree of methylation mosaicism witnessed in carriers reflects the stage of embryogenesis during which the methylation was established in them. Therefore, when it comes to screening for epimutations, for instance in the family members of a cancer patient found to carry one, it is prudent to test the DNA extracted from more than one tissue-type. Otherwise, it begs the question of whether a negative test means those relatives are safe from cancer as non-carriers, or whether it is just didn't show up in the tissue tested due to the mosaic nature of methylation. To minimise the possibility of failing to detect an epimutation, we have adopted the approach of testing DNA extracted from different tissue sources, namely blood, hair bulbs, buccal swabs, and thanks to the Oragene kits, saliva. In fact, since saliva is originally derived from the same embryonic cell lineage as the colon, it may even provide a more accurate representation of the epigenetic changes that have occurred in the colon than blood. In our recent article in the International Journal of Cancer,2 we show for the first time that in one case, Patient YT, who developed colon cancer at the age of just 18 years due to a constitutional MLH1 epimutation, that methylation was present in his saliva, as per other normal cells (Figure 1a). Thus his saliva showed a consistent pattern with other sources of tissue, indicating a severe soma-wide epimutation (Figure b). Furthermore, using the saliva RNA extraction kit, we were also able to show that the methylated copy of the gene was completely switched off (Figure 1c). Interestingly, screening of his parents showed that neither of them had any detectable methylation, despite screening multiple tissues including their saliva, and so we could say with confidence that the epimutation had arisen spontaneously in their cancer-affected son, but that they themselves were not at an elevated risk of developing cancer from the same type of defect.
Figure 1. Constitutional MLH1 epimutation in "Patient YT"
A: Schematic overview comparing a constitutional epimutation of MLH1, as found in Patient YT, with the normal gene of a healthy individual. Rectangles denote the two copies of the gene and its mRNA product. Methylation of the promoter is depicted by black lollipops. Gene activity is denoted by a waved arrow. The common c.655A>G SNP within the protein-code portion of the MLH1 gene is shown, which enables the two copies of the gene to be distinguished from one another, allowing the activity of the two alleles to be traced in the mRNA. B: Allelic patterns of MLH1 methylation showed methylation was widespread in normal somatic tissues, including saliva collected using the Oragene kit. The "beads of string" represent individual strands of DNA from the MLH1 promoter with dots showing positions of methylation present (black) or absent (white) at CG sites within the DNA sequence, at which methylation is capable of binding. C: Quantification by pyrosequencing of the two copies of the MLH1 gene in the genomic DNA and mRNA samples derived from saliva collected using the Oragene kits. The yellow-shaded region shows the peaks representing each allele at the SNP site. Two peaks showing equal levels of the ‘A' and ‘G' alleles in his saliva DNA show the patient is heterozygous for the benign c.655A>G SNP, allowing the two copies of to be differentiated. However, in his saliva mRNA, only the ‘G' allele was detected, indicating that the ‘A' allele has been switched off by the promoter methylation further upstream.
Our laboratory now routinely collects saliva using the Oragene kits from patients with colon cancer who we suspect may have been caused by intrinsic epigenetic changes, since we believe methylation may be elevated and hence more easily detected in this source of DNA than in blood. Furthermore, we are finding that our rate of compliance in providing samples for diagnostic or research purposes has increased. Firstly, those who are elderly, sick or have an aversion to needles are more willing to provide a sample of saliva than blood for DNA or RNA extraction. Secondly, in our research endeavouring to unravel the inheritance pattern of constitutional MLH1 epimutations, we rely on the voluntary contribution of specimens from the asymptomatic relatives of cancer patients who carry this defect. Relatives are happier to provide a specimen of saliva at their own convenience and in the comfort of their own home, than in visiting their clinician or pathology laboratory to provide a blood sample. Following contact by phone with the genetic counsellor or research nurse, they simply place their saliva sample in the stamped addressed envelope we provide and return it to the laboratory by post, along with their signed consent form approving the inclusion of their sample in our research study. To this end, the Oragene saliva kits have greatly facilitated our research from a logistical perspective, whilst also providing a new dimension for testing different tissue-types for epigenetic changes that may vary from one tissue source to another.
References.
- 1. Gazzoli, I., Loda, M., Garber, J., Syngal, S. & Kolodner, R.D. A hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma case associated with hypermethylation of the MLH1 gene in normal tissue and loss of heterozygosity of the unmethylated allele in the resulting microsatellite instability-high tumor. Cancer Res 62, 3925-8 (2002).
- 2. Goel A, Nguyen T-P, Hon-Chiu E Leung H-CE, Nagasaka T, Rhees J, Hotchkiss E, Arnold M, Banerji P, Koi M, Kwok C-T, Packham D, Lipton L, Boland CR, Ward RL, Hitchins MP. De novo constitutional MLH1 epimutations confer early-onset colorectal cancer in two new sporadic Lynch syndrome cases, with derivation of the epimutation on the paternal allele in one. International Journal of Cancer 2010, in press.
The Genetic Link welcomes guest blog authors. Our first guest submission is from Rachel Dvoskin, Ph.D., with the University of Florida. We thank Rachel for her submission and welcome her as a guest author. I hope you enjoy this article.
At the department of Anthropology and Genetics Institute at the University of Florida, we study genetic variation in modern human populations to answer diverse questions ranging from the route early humans took when they first migrated out of Africa to the underlying causes of racial differences in susceptibility to complex diseases. To explore these varied aspects of human evolutionary history, we spend a lot of time figuring out how to collect DNA from a large number of volunteers. With today's genetic technology, all that's necessary is to obtain a small blood or saliva sample from each of our participants -- a task relatively easy to do in concept but quite a bit more challenging in practice.
When doing this kind of research -- whether at home or abroad -- we come up against a bunch of potential hurdles. Language and cultural barriers can make it difficult to explain what we are doing and what we are hoping to gain from our participants. As a blond, female, American anthropologist who could hardly say hello in Arabic, Dr. Connie Mulligan never expected collecting DNA samples to be as easy as it was in the remote corners of the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. The Oragene•DNA saliva collection kits are non-invasive, simple to use, and even include illustrated instructions right on the package, making their use completely self-explanatory. We had no problem collecting saliva samples from hundreds of Yemeni participants, including many women garbed in the full abaya.
Furthermore, the lack of need for freezing or refrigeration allowed us to travel around the country without worrying about storage conditions. The disks are small and self-contained, and we did not have to carry any separate buffers or processing equipment. The saliva collectors made it possible to obtain large volumes of high-quality DNA. This DNA is used to answer questions about the movement of early humans out of Arabia. We will soon be able to thank our Yemeni study participants by telling them something new about their country's role in the peopling of the world.
We are now gearing up to do a study here in our own backyard in Florida. In collaboration with cultural anthropologists, we are studying how genetic factors and the social environment interact to influence a person's susceptibility to hypertension. Because we are interested in racial disparities in health in the U.S., we chose to conduct our community-based study in Tallahassee, a city with a long history of racial tension and civil rights activism. Given the potential for misuse of genetic information and the rare but horrific cases of unethical medical experimentation on oppressed minorities, it is understandable that people would be fearful or reluctant to participate in a study of this kind. We expect, however, that the non-threatening nature of the Oragene•DNA saliva collection kits will put people at ease and increase participation.
We value highly this simple, non-invasive technique because unlike many studies in which researchers opportunistically collect samples from people who are already being treated in a hospital or clinic, we are instead approaching regular people in their homes -- trying to get a representative sample of all types of people within a community. We think that the more benign and user-friendly the collection techniques, the more useful they will be for our research and for future work with minority groups and previously unsampled populations. This includes people in regions where lab or storage facilities are scarce as well as populations that have been overlooked or underrepresented in medical and health research.
Did you like this guest authored article? Leave a comment and let us know.
DNA Day commemorates the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix by Watson and Crick in 1953. The Human Genome Project was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The primary goal of the project was to determine the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA and to identify the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes of the human genome. As a result of the Human Genome Project, a Congressional resolution designated April 23 as the National DNA Day.
DNA Day is much more than a time to honor historical achievements - it's a day filled with opportunities for students, teachers and the public to learn how the exciting field of genome research touches all of our lives.
This year, for the first time, DNA Genotek is marking DNA Day celebrations with a new program with a focus on helping students in high schools, colleges and universities learn more about DNA collection and purification. The program, titled DNA Genotek's Science Education Program, will offer Oragene•DNA self collection kits at no charge to classrooms in accredited high schools, colleges and universities for teaching purposes.
Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for educators to use Oragene•DNA kits as a teaching platform in the classroom. The saliva-based collection method allows students to collect DNA and experiment with purification methods in the classroom, facilitating a greater understanding of DNA and its importance in health and disease. DNA Day celebrates the promise DNA holds in unlocking discovery that will impact global health and is the ideal time to introduce this program.
We're very excited about this program and its potential to have a positive impact on science education. Accredited high schools, colleges and universities can submit an online application form to receive these kits for teaching purposes.
If you want to learn more about DNA Day 2010, the best resource is the official DNA Day website at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). There you'll find news, resources and tools having to do with genetics.
If DNA Day inspires your children (or you) to learn more about the ins and outs of the genome, let us know. We'd love to hear how this special day had an impact on you.
Every day, it seems, scientists learn something new about how our genes work. One fascinating area of research involves understanding the role of our genes in the initiation, progression and treatment of diseases; such as cancer. Understanding cancer on a molecular and genetic level makes for good science and good medicine. We understand that all cancers are not created equally. From the moment you are conceived, your genes may increase your susceptibility to developing certain cancers or, later on, your environmental exposures or other factors may cause changes in your genes that cause cancer to develop. Cancer is not one disease, but many, adding to the complexity and breadth of studies.
Research is the best way to fully understand the mechanics of this disease and ultimately develop better strategies to combat it. Scientists and clinicians alike are constantly working to learn more about the role of genetics in cancers so they can improve treatment options and health outcomes for patients. The study of genes and cancer all share a fundamental requirement - they all need DNA.
The collection and analysis of DNA from blood and tissue have long been considered the golden standards in cancer research studies. Obtaining high quality genomic DNA is critical for studies that aim to evaluate the role of genetic factors in cancer. However, cancer research studies often require very large numbers of samples from a dispersed population and non-invasive methods for DNA collection. Saliva samples, which are painless for the donor and relatively easily collected, are quickly becoming the preferred choice.
Oragene•DNA is the product of choice for many cancer researchers who require a safer, simpler mechanism for collecting genetic samples than the traditional method of blood collection. This method of DNA collection is highly desirable in certain patient groups (e.g., children, those fearful of venipuncture, geographically dispersed study populations, or as a back up source of DNA in studies that collect blood).
Oragene•DNA kits are being used today in a wide variety of cancer studies including those investigating candidate genes and inherited risk family studies. Oragene•DNA is well suited for cancer research applications including:
Genetic Research: to identify genetic targets for therapy or diagnostics;
Genetic Screening: to help determine who is at high risk of developing cancer and who would have the better prognosis;
Pharmacogenomics: to determine the influence of genetics on treatment choice and disease prognosis.
One example of the type of cancer research that is benefiting from non-invasive DNA sample collection is breast cancer. One such research study was published in 2009: Christine B. Ambrosone, Gregory L. Ciupak, Elisa V. Bandera, et al., "Conducting Molecular Epidemiological Research in the Age of HIPAA: A Multi-Institutional Case-Control Study of Breast Cancer in African-American and European-American Women," Journal of Oncology, vol. 2009, Article ID 871250, 15 pages, 2009. doi:10.1155/2009/871250.
The authors of this research conducted a case-control study with the goal of recruiting 1200 African American and 1200 European American women with breast cancer and an equal number of controls in order to evaluate numerous risk factors for early/aggressive breast cancer and to evaluate the distribution of these risk factors within and across racial/ethnic groups. They initially collected blood samples which were processed and stored in the laboratory at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In 2007, to reduce costs and to facilitate participation, they transitioned to collection of saliva using Oragene•DNA kits for DNA extraction. The authors state: "These collection kits yield large quantities of high quality DNA, comparable to that obtained from whole blood."
If you'd like more details on how the researchers benefitted from non-invasive DNA collection in this breast cancer research study, download the full copy here.
At DNA Genotek, we're committed to creating educational resources for researchers involved in cancer genetics and to facilitate the sharing of best practices for DNA collection. If you have information to share or would like to contribute to this blog, please send us your suggestions and ideas.
We'll be posting more articles on saliva DNA collection methods for cancer research in the coming weeks. Don't forget, The Genetic Link has subscription options; you can follow by email or RSS feed.
In November of 2009, DNA Genotek announced their new global partner program. The program is designed to help partners scale and differentiate themselves in the genomics market. The DNA Genotek Partner Program is open to technology vendors as well as genomics and diagnostic service providers who have demonstrated capabilities in providing services for our sample collection products including Oragene●DNA, Oragene●RNA, Oragene●ANIMAL and/or Performagene•LIVESTOCK.
The DNA Genotek Partner Program is designed to help connect our customers with an approved service provider to process Oragene samples. Key to the program is our ability to provide customers with confidence of compatibility with a full range of downstream processing and analysis solutions offered by multiple technology vendors.
Since the launch of this program, 15 new companies have successfully completed validation of DNA Genotek products with their service or product offering. These companies are from a variety of countries and are available to help our customers process DNA saliva samples.
Here is the list of the newest companies to complete their validation testing:
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Affymetrix (US)
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Beckman Coulter Genomics (US)
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BioServe Biotechnologies, Ltd. (US)
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Center for Applied Genomics - Institute of Genomic Medicine (UK)
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chemagen AG (Germany and US)
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Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. (US)
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Geneservice (UK)
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Genetic Repositories Australia - GRA (Australia)
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Génome Québec & Montreal Heart Institute - Pharmacogenomics Centre (Canada)
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Gen-Probe - Tepnel Pharmaceutical Services (UK)
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Q Chip Ltd. (UK)
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Tecan (US)
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The Centre for Applied Genomics - TCAG (Canada)
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UK DNA Banking Network (UK)
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Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility - Genetics Core (Scotland)
For more information on each of these partners and what they offer, see the partner section of our web site.
Congratulations to these companies for completing their testing so quickly. While we're excited about this positive response to our program, we have many more companies from around the world currently working on validations with our products. Be sure to stay tuned to The Genetic Link for the latest updates on new DNA Genotek partners.
January is the most popular time of year for people to go on a diet or join a gym. Why? Because 'lose weight' is the most popular new year's resolution for both women and men and 'exercise more' follows close behind. So it's no big surprise that we're being bombarded with advertisements for weight loss programs, diet books, gym memberships and exercise equipment. But how many of these options offer a program that includes an analysis of DNA?
Research is helping us understand that for some people, a given exercise or diet effort will yield far less results than it offers anyone else because of what's already coded in their DNA.
Enter Newtopia. Newtopia is a personalized lifestyle plan service designed to reinvent the weight loss industry and optimize health, balance and well-being. Newtopia founder, Jeff Ruby, has worked with some of the best and brightest leaders in wellness and medicine at Canyon Ranch and The Cleveland Clinic. He learned that sustainable weight loss and healthy living is a lifestyle issue that requires the effective combination of nutrition, exercise and behavior management. Jeff brought together an interdisciplinary team of leading experts to build a program that is accessible to those who can't afford an expensive wellness resort or a medical institute -- and he provides this service to people right in their homes.
Newtopia's program combines personal coaching integrating nutrition, exercise and behavior management, lifestyle assessment, personality, wireless monitoring tools and genetics. Newtopia customers are mailed an Oragene•DNA kit in which they provide a small saliva sample and return it, by mail, to Newtopia. Newtopia's genetics team analyzes the DNA saliva sample and uses the information to offer each customer a unique profile. The Newtopia genetic testing is designed to reveal genetic tendencies related to weight loss, allowing Jeff and his team to fine tune a personalized program to meet each customer's unique needs.
Newtopia founder Jeff Ruby states "It is often only when a health issue touches you personally that you stop taking good health for granted. For me it was my father's illness with cancer that drew me towards the world of health and well-being. I was astonished to note the lack of day-to-day guidance and services combining nutrition, exercise and well-being to help people live healthy, balanced lives."
Why Oragene•DNA? Newtopia needed a DNA collection product that was easy-to-use, provided high quality and quantity of DNA, could be transported through the mail, and was stable at ambient temperature. Oragene•DNA was the only product that satisfied all their criteria.
Newtopia is a unique example of a new and growing service that uses Oragene•DNA. We love hearing how our customers are using our products. Do you have a story to tell about how you're using Oragene•DNA? If so, let us know. In the meantime, post a comment and let us know what you think of this topic.
After a day and a half at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG), I'm more convinced than ever that Performagene•LIVESTOCK will expedite advances in livestock genetic science. We've had researchers from both livestock and crop applications come by our booth to ask about the Performagene•LIVESTOCK product and how they can use it in their studies. The most frequent comment we're hearing from attendees is that it is very difficult to get producers to comply with their research studies. This is often due to the high cost of having a veterinarian do a blood draw and the invasive nature of this type of collection.
Blood has typically been the preferred method for collecting DNA from livestock for research studies (compared to hair follicles or ear punches) due to the quality and quantity of DNA in the sample. Here at PAG, livestock and crop researchers have learned that Performagene•LIVESTOCK's nasal sample collection kit provides equal quality DNA to blood and sufficient quantity to run multiple assays while still providing the researcher with enough raw sample to bank for future projects. All this is achieved with a completely non-invasive DNA collection method. This is a first for the livestock industry.
Yesterday I presented DNA Genotek's poster titled: "High Yield, High Quality Genomic DNA From Cattle Nasal Samples Using Performagene•LIVESTOCK". The people attending this poster session were excited about the results we obtained from nasal samples compared to blood and tail hair. This poster shows that the Performagene•LIVESTOCK DNA collection method yields a high quantity and high quality of genomic DNA. This study reports that the purified DNA is suitable for any downstream application and that DNA collected from nasal samples performs the same as DNA from blood.
Finally, the day ended on a very positive note with Genome Alberta announcing that they will be allocating $5 million in competitive research grants for livestock genetic research. This is particularly exciting for us as the majority of livestock genetics experts recognize that as downstream applications become more complex, tail hair isn't sufficient to satisfy assay requirements. Performagene•LIVESTOCK is designed for just these types of applications as it offers decreased hands on time to process the sample and results in DNA of high quality suitable for all downstream applications.
It's been a great start to this conference and I'm looking forward to the rest of the day. Be sure to let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
At the 2010 Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego, DNA Genotek officially launched our newest sample collection product called Performagene•LIVESTOCK. Performagene•LIVESTOCK, a simple and easy-to-use nasal collection device for cattle, sheep and swine, provides high quality and high quantity DNA that remains stable at ambient temperatures.
Most genetic products currently used in the livestock industry are designed for parentage testing but the opportunity for significant gains in productivity is accelerating research into breed improvements. DNA samples collected with Performagene•LIVESTOCK can be used to identify markers for applications such as parentage as well as genotyping livestock for economically important traits including disease resistance, milk production, marbling and feed efficiency. This research allows producers to make more informed breeding and management decisions.
Why Livestock Genetics?
The livestock industry is facing more challenges than ever before. This makes it critical for producers to focus on successful strategies for their business. The biggest benefit from livestock genetics will be the ability to leverage genetic information to select and breed animals of superior quality.
All genetic analysis starts with the collection of a DNA sample. While genetic breeding in livestock is advancing at a tremendous pace, advancements in sample collection methods were not. This is where Performagene•LIVESTOCK comes in. Just like we did with human DNA collection, we developed a product that makes DNA collection easy, effective and reliable. This simple and easy-to-use kit follows in the footsteps of Oragene•DNA and Oragene•ANIMAL and will change how people think about DNA collection in the livestock industry.
To see how easy the product is to use, take a look at this video.
How is Performagene•LIVESTOCK Different?
Previous DNA sample sources in the livestock industry such as semen, blood, hair follicles or ear tissue have been inconvenient for the producer to collect or difficult, unreliable and costly to process in the lab. The major difference with Performagene•LIVESTOCK is that it is an integrated collection device that not only makes the sample collection quicker and easier for the producer, but actually starts the sample preparation while it's being transported to the DNA testing lab. This provides the lab with a ready-to-process sample that is very easy to integrate into their automated systems. The product is designed to merge the sampling needs of the producer with the processing requirements at the lab in one economical product. This reduces the cost of the entire DNA testing process and enables high-throughput DNA testing of livestock. Performagene•LIVESTOCK provides a reliable, high quality, high quantity DNA sample that performs exceptionally well on commonly used assays for parentage and genotyping such as microsatellites, SNP genotyping and microarrays.
Reviews from Livestock Producers
A December 2009 survey of producers validated that while blood or hair follicles are currently being used for DNA sampling, producers are open to new methods that are easier, more reliable or more cost-effective. DNA Genotek's Performagene•LIVESTOCK is hitting the mark. After using the product, 94% of those surveyed indicated that ease-of-use was the number one benefit associated with DNA Genotek's Performagene•LIVESTOCK product. 82% found the collection process quicker compared to their current method. A resounding 94% of those surveyed stated they would switch to Performagene•LIVESTOCK for their DNA collection. We always work closely with those that we develop products for to ensure that we are satisfying real needs. This feedback is validation that we translated the challenges we heard from producers into the creation of a product that meets their requirements.
We Owe Special Thanks
Launching a new product into a new market is challenging. We feel we're off to a great start with Performagene•LIVESTOCK but we couldn't have done it without the help we received from so many people. In particular, we would like to thank the following people for their incredible contributions: Donnie, Rhonda and Bruce MacLeod from Orchard Gore Farms; Bruce Mann, Dale Kelly and team from Saskatchewan Research Council; as well as Douglas Hedley.
We will provide you with further information on this product and updates from the Plant and Animal Genome Conference later this week in The Genetic Link. In the meantime, let us know what you think about this new product by leaving a comment.
Since the inception of DNA Genotek, we have been driven to enable significant worldwide health improvements and to create a loyal community of customers. In our early days, we learned from customers that DNA and RNA collection can be challenging. With an aim to facilitate easier collection, we worked closely with customers to solve these challenges with thoughtful product design and a focus on ease of sample collection. Our customers tell us we've done this successfully with our Oragene family of saliva-based DNA and RNA collection products.
As the CEO of DNA Genotek (by the way, I'm the guy on the right in the photograph), I'm so proud that the Oragene family of products has helped our customers achieve scientific breakthroughs in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, autism, mental health disorders, tropical disease and more. I'm also proud of the growing number of customers bundling Oragene into their testing or service offering. This year we expanded our product line to include DNA collection from animals and there's more to come. I couldn't be more excited.
After 5 years of providing the Oragene family of products for DNA and RNA collection from saliva, we decided it was time to start blogging about it. Today we are pleased to announce the launch of our official company blog, The Genetic Link. Through this blog, we hope to add our thoughts regularly on topics related to DNA and RNA sample collection. You'll hear from multiple people across many functional areas within our organization and get to know them through this blog.
We hope
The Genetic Link will become a place where we can share important news with our customers, potential customers, partner companies and all others interested in topics and issues related to DNA and RNA sample collection, stabilization and preparation. It will cover the latest news about DNA Genotek and offer posts to help our customers get high compliance with their research studies, commercial studies, and with genetic testing. We'll also offer advice on how to achieve the best possible results with your DNA and RNA samples. In addition, we'll share our thoughts on what's happening in genetics.
If you'd like to see us write about a particular topic or if you'd like to contribute to a blog article, just let us know. We invite you to subscribe to this blog and to share the information with your colleagues.
From all of us at DNA Genotek, welcome. We look forward to reading your comments and feedback.