New Options for Gene Expression and Genotyping Experiments

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) has recently expanded its portfolio of PrimeTime®qPCR products with the launch of two new probes, the Eco and Mini LNA. I took this opportunity to catch up with the company to learn more about the IDT and their products.

AB: For people that may not have heard of IDT, can you tell me a little about the company?

IDT: Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) is a leader in the manufacture and development of products for the research and diagnostic life science market. The largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the world, IDT serves academic research, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical development communities. IDT also houses a dedicated GMP manufacturing facility for molecular diagnostics.

AB: What are the common uses of oligonucleotides?

IDT: Oligonucleotides are used for a wide variety of biological research and development applications. Molecular biology applications that employ oligonucleotides include sequencing, gene expression analysis, and genotyping. They are also used as general PCR primers and transcription templates, as well as for cloning. Cytogenetic techniques, such as fluorescent in situ hybridization, also depend on oligonucleotides. More recently, oligonucleotides have been increasingly employed in clinical research for the development of diagnostic tools and for use as therapeutics.

AB: Can you tell more about the PrimeTime range of products and specifically how they help researchers in the lab?

IDT: IDT PrimeTime products serve researchers who use real-time PCR for gene expression analysis or genotyping.  PrimeTime products for studying gene expression are available in multiple options: probe-based 5’ nuclease assays (i.e., premixed primers and probe) or assays containing primer alone for use with intercalating dyes such as SYBR Green; both assay types are available in tubes or 96-well plates. For ultimate flexibility, primers and probes can also be ordered individually in tubes. PrimeTime Probes are available with the IDT proprietary double quencher, which incorporates a ZEN internal quencher in addition to the traditional 3’ end quencher.  PrimeTime Probes for genotyping incorporate locked nucleic acids (LNAs), which increase specificity and provide good signal differentiation, allowing improved genotype discrimination. 

AB: How do these new probes support researchers performing gene expression and genotyping experiments?

IDT: The new probes allows researchers to buy the best scale for their needs. With the introduction of the Eco probe at 2.5 nmoles we are  responding to requests from customers that needs more than the Mini probe ( which is at 0.5 nmoles) but less than the 100 nmole scale (10 nmoles min guarantee).  This product has also been priced very attractively at $79.

Previously IDT only offered the LNA probes on the 250 nmole scale.  This scale serves the need of those customers performing a large number of reactions (in the thousands). To meet the needs of the customers that require a smaller number of reactions, to screen and optimize their experiments, we introduced the Mini LNA scale that offers 0.5 nmole, that will enable them to perform 100 reactions.

More information on Integrated DNA Technologies and their range of products can be found on their website http://idtdna.com/