CombiMatrix and Furuno Launch DNA Microarray Synthesizer

Acacia Research Corporation has announced that its CombiMatrix group, working in partnership with Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. of Japan, has launched its QuadroCAS™ CustomArray™ Synthesizer.

Jointly designed and developed by the two companies, this instrument integrates CombiMatrix's proprietary electrochemical in situ oligonucleotide synthesis technology into a compact, stand-alone design.

Manufactured by Furuno at their instrument production facility in Japan, the QuadroCAS Synthesizer combines reagent handling hardware with Furuno instrument control and signal processing electronics to deliver a full-featured, small footprint instrument for CustomArray production applications.

Designed and tested to meet appropriate safety certification standards, the QuadroCAS Synthesizer will bear the CE and TUV markings and is suitable for worldwide distribution.

Acacia claims that, using this instrument, researchers around the world will be able to produce custom DNA microarrays to their exact specifications with complete control over the content.

Hidetoshi Tanigaki, Managing Director and General Manager of Furuno, said, "We are excited about the launch of the new QuadroCAS DNA Microarray Synthesizer."

"This instrument represents an important new product line for the life-science business group at Furuno."

"The QuadroCAS Synthesizer expands our synthesis product line," said Michael Tognotti, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of CombiMatrix.

"We look forward to offering our customers this dynamic enabling instrument."

The QuadroCAS Synthesizer fabricates CombiMatrix CustomArray microarrays that contain thousands of microelectrodes that are individually addressable using embedded logic circuitry on the microarray.

Placed in one of four fluidic chambers, the system software digitally directs the molecular assembly of oligonucleotides for each separate array.

During this process thousands of different oligonucleotide probes can be synthesized simultaneously on four different individual arrays.

Features on the QuadroCAS Synthesizer include:

- The QuadroCAS Synthesizer, along with the CombiMatrix CustomArray Synthesizer™ is designed to provide high quality in situ fabricated arrays on demand.

- The QuadroCAS Synthesizer fabricates up to 4 high quality in situ arrays simultaneously with the same or unique probe designs in 24 hours or less, depending on the array format of the experiments run.

- The QuadroCAS Synthesizer allows the flexibility to design each probe sequence to the exact specification of the user for any organism and allows customers complete control over inventory for on-demand in situ microarrays.

- The QuadroCAS Synthesizer has a compact footprint and incorporates all reagents and hardware into a stand-alone instrument.

- The QuadroCAS Synthesizer will be certified by TUV to be compliant to EU directive IEC61010-1 73/23/EEC and 89/336/EEC with the latest amendments 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC.