RainDance Technologies, Inc., a provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for human health and disease research, today announced that the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will become an early access partner for its new RDT 1000 and Sequence Enrichment Solution.
Under the Early Access Partner program, RainDance will deliver to the Broad Institute its RDT 1000, consumables kits, and expert training for sequence enrichment. This will include custom PCR primer libraries designed to selectively amplify loci of interest for the Institute’s breakthrough genomic research initiatives. In addition, the Institute will investigate the application of the RDT 1000 for experiments related to the human microbiome.
“The program provides an opportunity for some of the world’s leading scientists in genomic research to become experienced with our technology months prior to its commercial launch,” said Chris McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer of RainDance Technologies. “Their work also represents further recognition of our platform’s unique capabilities to extend into other targeted sequencing applications of significant biological importance.”
The RDT 1000 and Sequence Enrichment Solution utilize RainDance’s breakthrough RainStormTM microdroplet-based technology platform. The simplicity and speed of the technology are designed to maximize the efficiency of next-generation DNA sequencing workflows. The RDT 1000 generates picoliter volume PCR reactions at the rate of 10 million discrete reactions per hour. The high-speed sample processing is further enhanced by the fact that the Sequence Enrichment Solution utilizes a library of PCR primers in droplets enabling the amplification of hundreds to thousands of genomic loci in a single tube. The RainStorm format avoids the limitations of traditional multiplex hybridization and amplification technologies. RainDance’s solution minimizes process-induced bias or error and requires only a few micrograms of genomic DNA.
“We are anticipating our solution will significantly enhance the Broad Institute’s genomics research program,” said McNary. “It is our expectation their experience will further reinforce the benefits of our solution in biomedical research.”