WaferGen’s SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR System to Begin Alpha Testing at University of Pittsburgh Medical School

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art gene expression, genotyping, cell biology and stem cell research systems, today announced that it has shipped the alpha version of its SmartChip™ Real-Time PCR System, as well as proprietary oncology gene panel assays to be used with the system, to the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

This milestone will allow researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School to initiate the alpha testing program for the system and panels as part of the group’s alpha testing and research collaboration with WaferGen. The SmartChip Real-Time PCR System is designed as the first whole genome, high throughput gene expression real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform and promises to deliver significant speed and cost advantages to researchers in the gene expression and genotyping markets.

The SmartChip Real-Time PCR System has the capacity to conduct 30,000 assays on a single chip. Comparatively, today’s standard real-time PCR technologies are only able to run 384 assays on a single plate. Additionally, each of the system’s wells is designed to support a real-time PCR reaction of 100 nanoliters. This represents a 1,000 fold decrease in the amount of reagent and sample required by today’s standard real-time PCR technologies. The result is the ability to conduct gene expression research at a fraction of the time and cost associated with current technologies.

Under terms of WaferGen’s collaboration with the University of Pittsburg Medical School, researchers will leverage the high-throughput real-time PCR capabilities of WaferGen’s SmartChip Real-Time PCR System to support their identification of therapeutically-relevant biomarkers in the areas of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung cancer. This research may lead to the discovery of specific genes responsible for causing these diseases and conditions. In turn, this critical genetic information may ultimately provide physicians with new tools for determining accurate disease prognosis in patients, while also potentially providing drug developers with information necessary for the creation of targeted therapeutics for patients with COPD, IPF and lung cancer. WaferGen expects the alpha testing program will demonstrate significant cost and speed advantages for the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System as compared to other commercialized platforms. These experiments will be overseen by Steven D. Shapiro, M.D., Jack D. Myers Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine at University of Pittsburgh and Naftali Kaminski, M.D., Director of the Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease.

“The shipment of the alpha version of the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System to the University of Pittsbugh Medical School is a significant milestone for WaferGen as we work to rapidly bring this innovative product to the market,” said Alnoor Shivji, WaferGen’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are eager to follow the progress of Dr. Shapiro and his research team as they advance the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System through alpha testing. The feedback that they will be able to provide WaferGen will be invaluable as we continue to pursue our mission of providing researchers around the world with access to the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System.”

Dr. Shapiro is a world-renowned expert in identifying and understanding the underlying biological contributors to pulmonary diseases such as COPD, IPF, and lung cancer. His laboratory has played a leading role in guiding the path of cutting-edge COPD research including key discoveries related to the biological and pathological function of proteinases. With the goal of uncovering novel and effective pulmonary disease therapeutics, Dr. Shapiro and his team employ a multidisciplinary research approach which the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System is expected to strengthen.

WaferGen is presently continuing its work on the development of additional proprietary assays for the SmartChip Real-Time PCR System, including those focused in the area of toxicology. At the same time, the company is also developing an enhanced version of the system that will enable users to conduct 100,000 assays on a single chip. This will provide the opportunity for researchers to use one chip to conduct whole genome gene expression in triplicate.