Affymetrix Launches Solution to Enable Cancer Researchers to Rapidly Map the Functional Impact of DNA Alterations on Gene Expression Profiles to Identify Potential Cancer Driver Events

Affymetrix has announced the launch of Concurrent Molecular Analysis Profiling (CoMAP™) capability, which enables cancer researchers to gain rapid insight into the functional impact of DNA copy number alterations by combining whole-genome copy number data with gene expression profiles to easily and cost-effectively visualize and identify cancer driver events.

Whole-genome DNA analysis of cancer samples has shown that copy number alterations affect more of the genome than any other DNA abnormality. Many of these alterations are “drivers” of cancer, while others are just “passenger” events. Deciphering which of the DNA alterations are “driver” or “passenger” events has been a challenge. Having the ability to concurrently correlate genome-wide gene expression changes with copy number alterations can help to rapidly identify and prioritize the number of potential driver events, which in turn can lead to the identification of functional biomarkers. This is particularly valuable to researchers studying “C class” tumors, which are characterized by functional copy number changes as opposed to somatic mutations.
The CoMAP capability is a new functionality included in Affymetrix’ new Chromosome Analysis Suite (ChAS) 3.0 Software that enables researchers to easily and quickly analyze and visualize the functional impact of copy number changes on gene expression in cancer samples, including FFPE tissue. This capability instantaneously combines and correlates whole-genome copy number data with mRNA and miRNA data generated from Affymetrix’ assays such as OncoScan® FFPE Assay Kit, GeneChip® Human Transcriptome Array 2.0, and GeneChip® miRNA 4.0 Array respectively. This approach enables researchers to go from samples to insights in just three days. The correlation maps may be generated for all RefSeq genes or a customized gene list.

“Despite billions of dollars that are spent every year on cancer research, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Affymetrix is committed to enabling translational science by providing practical and cost-effective tools so that researchers can rapidly translate their discovery into improved cancer diagnosis and therapy,” said Andy Last, PhD, Chief Operating Officer of Affymetrix.