Exiqon recommends Tecan’s HS Pro hybridization stations for microarray-based tool

Exiqon is using microarray-based microRNA profiling data to develop a new molecular tool for the diagnosis of carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) origin, and relies on Tecan’s HS 4800™ Pro hybridization stations to automate and standardize processing for both product development and routine diagnostic screening.

In around 5 % of all newly diagnosed metastatic cancers, the site of the primary tumor cannot be determined and, because effective cancer treatment depends on early identification of the primary tumor, CUP patients often have poor prognoses. MicroRNAs are good candidates for diagnosing these tumors as their expression signatures can be used to classify specific cancers.

Dr Carsten Alsbo, Product Manager from Exiqon, explained why automation of hybridization protocols is an important aspect of the new method: “Our results consistently confirm that our high affinity miRCURY LNA™ microRNA arrays, used in conjunction with the HS 4800 Pro hybridization station, are a very powerful combination for high quality microRNA expression studies. The HS Pro is a very robust and user-friendly system, consistently delivering high throughput, reproducible results for our development team and customers alike. Our service division uses seven HS 4800 Pro workstations to provide diagnostic screening services for a range of customers, and these instruments are run at full capacity five days a week. In addition, three further HS Pro workstations are used for development of our microarrays and probes. These instruments are very easy-to-use, allowing us to rapidly standardize complex experimental procedures, particularly for our miRCURY LNA microRNA arrays.”

He added: “Although our arrays can be run on a variety of automated stations, or even manually, we always recommend Tecan’s HS Pro hybridization stations to customers as the gold standard for reliable results.”

To find out more on Tecan’s HS Pro hybridization stations, follow the company article webpage link on the right hand side of the screen.