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Simplifying single-cell
efforts
February 2016
EDIT CONNECT
SHARING OPTIONS:
HERCULES, Calif.—Analyzing groups of single cells, rather than bulk
tissue samples, is for many scientists an invaluable research method of gaining genomic insights. Yet analysis of large quantities of single cells remains
costly and time-consuming. A new partnership between two companies that produce research technologies aims to streamline the process by creating a more
sophisticated workflow solution.
Bio-Rad Laboratories and Illumina announced last month an exclusive partnership focused on developing the most comprehensive
next-generation sequencing workflow for single-cell analysis. The companies say they will release a product late this year or early next year that enables
high-throughput sequencing of thousands of individual cells.
“The Bio-Rad/Illumina products will be the
first end-to-end solution for single-cell genomic analysis,” Dr. Viresh Patel, Bio-Rad marketing director, tells DDNews. “More
importantly, our solution will be affordable, yet also scalable and flexible to enable both standard and high-throughput studies.”
Patel says that the new technology could streamline many areas of research that are currently of high interest, including the
process of unraveling complex gene expression signatures within mixed cell populations.
Although single-cell
analysis has drawn more interest in recent years, most scientific studies still rely on analysis of bulk tissue samples that contain multiple cell types with
varying functions. There are drawbacks to this approach that are particularly problematic in some research areas. When scientists average gene expression
across the cells in bulk tissue it becomes difficult to identify differences between them and to understand the role of cell variation.
Single-cell sequencing has the potential to avoid this problem and provide deeper and more precise insights into cell
function, disease progression and therapeutic response. Such data can be important in studies of neurological tissues, for example, which have hundreds of
specialized cell types.
Illumina and Bio-Rad say their new workflow system for single-cell analysis will combine
Bio-Rad’s droplet partitioning technology and Illumina’s sequencing technologies. The result will be a product optimized to isolate and barcode
single cells for downstream sequencing, with data analysis conducted using Illumina’s cloud-based genomics program called BaseSpace. In only a few
minutes the product will be able to isolate significantly larger numbers of single cells than currently available commercial solutions.
“Bio-Rad’s droplet digital technology and fluidics expertise will enable the rapid isolation of single cells and
oligonucleotide-containing beads that, in combination with dedicated reagents, produce thousands of single cell RNA-Seq libraries for NGS,” Patel tells
DDNews.
Christian Henry, Illumina’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in
a public statement that the partnership with Bio-Rad has the potential to support groundbreaking advances in gene expression by serving a substantial market
for single-cell NGS.
Illumina’s effort to develop a single-cell analysis solution is one of several
initiatives intended to expand its product portfolio. In recent months, the company announced the launch of several products and initiatives to develop new
products, including a new sequencing product called the MiniSeq Sequencing System, a high-throughput array format product called Infinium XT and the
development of a new semiconductor-based sequencing system.
The MiniSeq System, which is expected to be
commercially available early this year, is designed to enable both experienced and new-to-NGS researchers to benefit from Illumina’s sequencing
technologies. The company says the product provides quick results and an easy-to-use library-to-results workflow with onboard data analysis for numerous
assays.
Infinium XT, which is especially well suited for agrigenomics applications, is a new member of
Illumina’s Infinium product family that is on track to be commercially available in the third quarter of this year. The product is Illumina’s
highest throughput array format and is designed to enable genotyping on larger numbers of samples, testing up to 50,000 markers per sample and enabling
laboratories to scale up to one million samples or more per year.
Illumina also recently announced the launch of
Project Firefly, its effort to develop a new sequencing system with a low cost and easy installation that it predicts will “democratize” next-
generation sequencing. The project is expected to eventually result in a semiconductor-based sequencing system with a raw error rate of less than one
percent.
Bio-Rad announced another collaboration last month that will leverage its technologies to advance
research in a very different area: improving the safety of the world’s food supply. Bio-Rad will join IBM and Mars as a member of the newly established Consortium for Sequencing
the Food Supply Chain, an effort to combine advanced genomics with new informatics tools to better detect hazards in the food supply chain.
“Bio-Rad will bring a new dimension to the consortium effort with their suite of advanced testing techniques and
equipment,” said Harold Schmitz, chief science officer for Mars, in a prepared statement. “This type of uncommon collaboration will drive even
greater capacity, insight and capability in food safety science and help us achieve critical breakthroughs.”
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