WaferGen Biosystems introduced a new service for gene-expression profiling of thousands of genes using its SmartChip™ real-time PCR system. WaferGen will offer its pathway-specific gene panels to universities and pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies that are looking to discover and validate new biomarkers.
WaferGen also reported that it is moving to a new facility to support the SmartChip services and the expansion of manufacturing and R&D functions.
The new WaferGen SmartChip service will be made available to a few select customers in December and made more broadly available in the first quarter of 2010. The SmartChip service offerings will be expanded early next year to include a miRNA expression panel. Researchers will get early access to the technology and the benefit of new and upcoming gene panels.
The initial product to be run on the SmartChip platform is the SmartChip Human Oncology Gene Panel that provides pathway based gene-expression profiling for oncology. It may also be used for immunology, metabolic, and stem cell research.
