Illumina Introduces Sentrix® HumanHap650Y Genotyping BeadChip
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Illumina, Inc. has announced that it has introduced a Sentrix® HumanHap Genotyping BeadChip that extends broad genomic coverage to all four populations studied by the International HapMap Project including the Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Illumina claims that its HumanHap650Y BeadChip contains over 650,000 SNP markers on a single microarray, providing the comprehensive genomic coverage and highest data quality of any whole-genome genotyping product currently available. Illumina expects to begin shipping the HumanHap650Y in July.
By genotyping DNA samples with the HumanHap BeadChips, researchers will be equipped to compare genetic variation between different populations, comprehensively identify SNP loci of interest, and then track and validate disease-related genetic variations.
Scientific teams are already designing large studies around the HumanHap BeadChip.
One such study will be conducted at Duke University's Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI).
As part of the study, CHAVI will use the HumanHap650Y to analyze a 2,000-sample cohort of HIV-exposed African individuals that are and are not infected with the virus in order to identify gene variants that confer either resistance or susceptibility to infection.
According to David Goldstein, Ph.D., a Professor in Duke's Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and Director of CHAVI's Host Genetics Core, "The CHAVI host genetics group was delighted by the announcement of this product which represents a dramatic step forward for whole genome association studies in Africa."
"The introduction of the Hap650Y highlights the quality of our product development process, the robustness of our manufacturing infrastructure and the flexibility of BeadArray™ technology," stated Jay Flatley, Illumina President and CEO.
"In the three short months since we launched our flagship HumanHap550, we have screened and validated over 100,000 Yoruba tagSNP assays, developed multiplexed bead pools, and conducted final product QC for a brand new human genotyping BeadChip."
HumanHap BeadChips are powered by Illumina's Infinium™ assay method, which enables the Company to select virtually any SNP, including so called "tagSNPs," to deliver the highest per-marker information content.
TagSNPs deliver high information value because they often serve as "proxies" for larger groups of SNPs, called haplotypes, which are inherited together.
