FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: WGBS) presented T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing results from its ICELL8 Single-Cell System at the Single Cell Genomics Conference in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The poster presentation, titled “A SMARTer® Approach to Profiling the Human T-cell Receptor Repertoire Using the ICELL8 Single Cell System”, demonstrates the ability to perform TCR sequencing from thousands of single cells and is a joint poster with Takara Bio USA, Inc. (formerly known as Clontech Laboratories, Inc.).
Results presented using the ICELL8 Single-Cell system display the power of high throughput single-cell TCR sequencing analysis. Analysis was performed using more than 1,000 single Jurkat cells which were isolated, automatically identified and selected using proprietary CellSelect software and prepared for next generation sequencing analysis. Individual TCR sequences from each cell (clonotypes) were selectively amplified and sequenced in a MiSeq using 2 x 300 base pair sequencing. Single-cell TCR sequencing analysis revealed the expected clonotypes and the total number of clonotypes identified correlated with equivalent bulk samples. Single-cell analysis was also able to provide greater insights by identifying paired alpha and beta subunit information, which is not possible using bulk samples.
“The ICELL8 Single-Cell system is a powerful and flexible technology platform which can enable a number of new, high throughput single-cell applications. TCR sequencing at the single cell level will provide greater insights for researchers in the biotech and pharma community working on solutions for immuno-oncology, immune deficiency, autoimmunity, and vaccine response,” said Rollie Carlson, President and CEO of WaferGen. “The TCR sequencing application is also the first demonstration of the synergies that we expect from the partnership between WaferGen Bio-systems and Takara Bio USA.”
The ICELL8 Single-Cell System can be used to isolate thousands of single cells and prepare them for next generation sequencing analysis. The system has been used to successfully process a wide range of cell types, including live single neurons, human tumor cells, mouse tumor cells, T-cells and nuclei, demonstrating effective and unbiased cell isolation. The system also runs up to eight samples of various cell types and sizes on a single chip. The system was initially developed for 3' RNA sequencing applications but additional applications, such as TCR sequencing, can be easily deployed.
About WaferGen
WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. is a biotechnology company that offers innovative genomic technology solutions for single-cell analysis and clinical research. The ICELL8 Single-Cell System is a first of its kind system that can isolate thousands of single cells and processes specific cells for analysis, including NGS. The system has demonstrated unbiased isolation of single cells from solid tumors, brain cells, pulmonary airway cells, and multiple cell lines. The SmartChip platform can be used for profiling and validating molecular biomarkers, and can perform massively-parallel singleplex PCR for one-step target enrichment and library preparation for clinical NGS. The Apollo 324 system can be used to process DNA and RNA from clinical samples to NGS-ready libraries. These technologies offer a powerful set of tools for biological analysis at the molecular and single-cell level in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, and clinical laboratory industries. WaferGen recently announced a merger agreement with Takara Bio Inc. (TSE: 4974), a leading Japanese and global biotechnology and life science reagents company, which is expected to close in March of 2017.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seek,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “anticipate” or other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements in this press release may address the following subjects among others: statements regarding the closing of the merger agreement with Takara Bio Inc., sufficiency of our capital resources, expected operating losses, expected revenues, expected expenses, expected cash usage, our expectations regarding our development of future products including single cell analysis technologies and our expectations concerning our competitive position and business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Investor Contact:
Rollie Carlson
Rollie.Carlson@wafergen.com
510-277-3417
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SOURCE WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc.
