Roche NimbleGen Add Multiplex Gene Expression Arrays and Services to its Product Portfolio

Roche NimbleGen Inc. has announced the addition of 4-plex eukaryotic gene expression analysis microarrays and services to its growing suite of genomic and epigenetic analysis tools.

The NimbleChip™ Multiplex Arrays enable researchers to hybridize and analyze samples in four replicate arrays on a single slide to provide a high-performance yet approach to gene expression analysis. Roche NimbleGen's ability to make long oligonucleotide probes (60mer) in combination with high density sub-arrays of 72,000 probes each provides comprehensive coverage of entire genomes with multiple probes per gene.

The averaging of the results from multiple probes (typically 3-7 probes per gene) provides improved statistical confidence and can dramatically the impact of inconsistent probe behavior, ensuring high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility compared to platforms that offer only one to two probes per gene.

Whole-genome designs are available in multiplex format for a broad range of species, including human, mouse, rat, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Arabidopsis thaliana, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster.  Researchers can also request custom gene expression arrays in the 4-plex format for any eukaryote with a well annotated genome.

“From the first experiment we found that the Roche NimbleGen multiplex platform was easy to use in a standard laboratory setting. The results are extremely reproducible, and control probes provide reliable identification of the samples loaded on each of the sub-arrays,“ said beta collaborator Dr. Jason Lieb, assistant professor at the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences and The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “We will certainly look to this platform as an economical way to perform many experiments in-house.”