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CARLSBAD, Calif., June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announces it has begun commercial shipments of the QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System, the first chip-based instrument designed for this rapidly growing segment of the genetic analysis market. Featuring the simplest workflow and smallest footprint available on the market, the benchtop platform is designed for experiments requiring absolute quantification of targeted DNA molecules and disruptively priced at $39,000 to enable broad accessibility to all laboratories.
Scientists worldwide commonly use real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to amplify and quantify nucleic acids. A variation of that powerful technology, digital PCR goes beyond the limits of real-time PCR and provides absolute quantification of DNA samples, making the application ideally suited for accurately detecting rare genetic mutations important in cancer or infectious diseases.
“Good research depends on three things: researchers’ techniques, appropriate funding and sample quality. Compared to in-situ hybridization methods, digital PCR has a direct impact on these components,” said Bruno Ping, senior biomedical scientist, Royal Surrey County Hospital in the U.K. “The great advantage of the QuantStudio 3D is that it makes copy number variation research, for example, more readily available and cost effective as you are able to probe a higher number of samples at lower price points. The data achieved in my lab correlate well with our previous results.”
The QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System is designed to be affordable and easy to use for a wide variety of laboratory settings. The simple workflow, combined with the system’s chip-based approach, reduces the number of required hands-on steps to begin experiments reducing the risk of sample contamination and loss of DNA normally associated with droplet-based systems on the market. Once a sample has been loaded onto the chip, the system takes less than one minute to return initial data.
At the heart of the instrument is the high-density, nanofluidic silicon chip that enables up to 20,000 data points, coverage that satisfies the needs for most digital PCR applications today. The platform also takes up minimal footprint on the bench, measuring about 5 inches wide, 8.5 inches long and 8 inches tall.
The new platform is the latest addition to a growing line of QuantStudio digital qPCR instruments from Life Technologies. It complements the QuantStudio 12K Flex Real-Time PCR System, which the company launched in 2012. Once considered a niche market, digital PCR is expected to grow to nearly $250 million globally by 2016, according to reports from Frost & Sullivan and DeciBio. Previously, the market was limited by the high cost and cumbersome workflow associated with prior digital platforms.
“Effective today, we have democratized digital PCR by introducing a novel instrument and system that simplifies the workflow and enables accessibility by labs of all sizes around the world,” says Chris Linthwaite, Head of Genetic Analysis, Life Technologies. “The QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System reflects our singular focus to develop revolutionary platforms that enable diverse scientific communities to answer questions across a wide range of industries and applications.”
Life Technologies will host two customer presentations June 10 during the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) conference: Bruno Ping will discuss the results of his research on Her-2 amplification in breast cancer FFPE samples using the QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System; and Dr. Erik Springer will discuss his work on detection of BRAF-V600E mutation by comparing data from ARMS-PCR and digital PCR. For more information on the talks and all of Life’s activities at the conference, visit the company’s ESHG website.
The QuantStudio 3D Digital PCR System is for research use only; not for use in diagnostic procedures.
About Life Technologies
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology company that is committed to providing the most innovative products and services to leading customers in the fields of scientific research, genetic analysis and applied sciences. With a presence in more than 180 countries, the company’s portfolio of 50,000 end-to-end solutions is secured by more than 5,000 patents and licenses that span the entire biological spectrum -- scientific exploration, molecular diagnostics, 21st century forensics, regenerative medicine and agricultural research. Life Technologies has approximately 10,000 employees and had sales of $3.8 billion in 2012.
Life Technologies’ Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements about our anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies’ plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” “expect” and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions (“will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
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Life Technologies Contact
Mauricio Minotta
760-929-2456
Mauricio.minotta@lifetech.com
SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation
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