Illumina Introduces Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling Using Infinium® Assay

Illumina, Inc. has introduced a 12-sample Infinium DNA Methylation BeadChip for use in epigenetic research. With this new high-density solution, researchers can assay approximately 27,000 CpG sites per sample, covering more than 14,000 well-annotated genes with single CpG resolution.

Content for this panel was derived from genes described in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Consensus Coding Sequence (CCDS) Database, and features a core set of protein-coding regions that are consistently annotated and of high quality.

In addition, the new array includes more than 1,000 cancer-related genes and 200 CpG sites located within CpG islands found in promoter regions of microRNA (miRNA) genes. Full commercial shipments of Illumina's Infinium DNA Methylation Panel are expected for Q1 2008.

"DNA methylation plays a critical role in the regulation of gene expression, and is known to be an essential mechanism for guiding normal cellular development and maintaining tissue identities," said Todd Dickinson, Ph.D., Director of Product Marketing for Illumina.

"We have developed a panel that contains content unmatched by any other product currently available. Using our robust Infinium Assay, this panel will provide researchers with the ability to quickly determine genome-wide methylation signatures. This innovation is expected to rapidly advance the current state of methylation research in areas such as cancer and human embryonic stem cells, and should ultimately lead to the development of powerful tools for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of these diseases," Dickinson said.