Deal covers preparative and analytical microfluidics systems for next-generation sequencing.

Caliper Life Sciences and Illumina inked a co-marketing agreement for Caliper’s LabChip® XT library-preparation instrument and LabChip GX analytical quality control platform. These systems are automated alternatives to traditional gel electrophoresis methods for next-generation sequencing library construction and assessment.

The LabChip platforms provide Genome Analyzer and HiSeq2000 users with more accurate and higher-throughput solutions for sample analysis and sizing, significantly reducing manual manipulations while improving data quality and sample-to-sample consistency, Caliper and Illumina note.

“Our preparative and analytical microfluidics technologies are uniquely positioned to provide the speed, accuracy, and sensitivity necessary to enable the growing applications of sequencing technologies,” says Kevin Hrusovsky, president and CEO of Caliper. “The LabChip XT in particular was developed with direct input from Illumina.”

The preparative LabChip XT removes a key bottleneck in library preparation by replacing tedious and inconsistent gel isolation steps, Caliper explains. The system utilizes a multichannel, disposable chip that fractionates up to four samples in less than 30 minutes. The design eliminates the potential for cross contamination, provides digital data for analysis and quantification, and offers an accuracy and consistency that was not previously possible, the company adds.

The LabChip GX utilizes Caliper’s microfluidics technology to perform reproducible, high-resolution, electrophoretic separations for analyzing DNA or RNA size, concentration, and integrity. 

Caliper has additional next-generation sequencing tools. The Zephyr® Genomics Workstation automates nucleic acid extractions and other standard molecular biology protocols. The Sciclone® NGS workstation performs automated library construction and exome capture protocols.

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