Premier biotech research center adopts complete RainDance product portfolio to enhance next-generation sequencing and digital PCR services offering
BILLERICA, Mass. and HUNTSVILLE, Ala.— Oct 20, 2014 — HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has been named a RainDance Center of Excellence, making it the latest premier reference site and service provider for RainDance Technologies, Inc., a genomics tools company simplifying the analysis of complex genetics.
The announcement was made today during the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting in San Diego.
HudsonAlpha’s Genomic Services Lab offers forward-looking genetic research tools to help both academic and commercial customers around the world better understand the genetic causes of cancer, bipolar disorders and other common, complex diseases. The RainDance product portfolio enables the GSL to offer a variety of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and digital PCR services to study cell-based and cell-free biomarkers for disease risk predisposition, initial detection, pathology and residual disease.
“We are committed to providing our academic and commercial customers with innovative genomic research tools that are designed to reduce hands-on time, minimize variation in handling, increase throughput, and reduce costs,” said Shawn Levy, Ph.D., Director of the Genomic Services Lab at HudsonAlpha. “The combination of the ThunderBolts Cancer Panel and the ThunderStorm System from RainDance enables us to achieve greater sensitivity and depth of sequence coverage from a wide range of samples and ultimately, ensure higher quality NGS data at a lower overall cost per sample, all on a proven unified technology platform.”
As a RainDance Center of Excellence, the team at HudsonAlpha will act as a reference and best practices demonstration site, and will also provide fee-based lab services to other researchers and collaborators who wish to run studies at HudsonAlpha using RainDance products. In exchange, RainDance will collaborate with HudsonAlpha for scientific validation studies and for the development of novel genomic content and applications.
This collaboration illustrates HudsonAlpha’s strength as an early-adopter and innovator in the use of the latest sequencing technologies. The institute has invested, and will continue to invest, in being a technological lead.
The GSL excels at handling a large number of current projects involving large numbers of samples and has amassed a large amount of expertise in getting a multitude of equipment and platforms to work together to handle large loads in an automated fashion, as well as performing important analyses automatically so that results are quickly generated with great accuracy and quality. The institute’s optimization of workflow, process and analysis makes it an excellent beta-tester of new equipment.
The GSL is both a data-production powerhouse and a data-analysis/scientific powerhouse, applying its capabilities to critical scientific studies including the largest studies undertaken of schizophrenia, bipolar, and ALS.
RainDance technologies being used by HudsonAlpha include:
• ThunderStorm® System: High-throughput, fully automated NGS content enrichment solution enabling researchers to generate best-in-class data on large-scale disease panels, while delivering the simplest workflow and affordability for high-volume studies.
• RainDrop® System: Ultrasensitive digital PCR system for research of early detection and monitoring of cancers, viruses, pathogens, and immune markers.
• ThunderBolts Cancer Panel: Comprehensive NGS panel enabling researchers to profile a wide range of tumor samples (FFPE, tissue and plasma) with as low as 10 ng of starting DNA in less than two days, with a streamlined workflow, at ultra-low cost.
“The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is well regarded worldwide for its ability to translate the promise of genomics from the lab into real-world benefits for people and their communities,” said Roopom Banerjee, President and CEO at RainDance Technologies. “We look forward to working closely with the many thought leaders at HudsonAlpha to showcase the performance advantages of our product portfolio and enable novel, non-invasive fluid biopsy applications that will help transform our understanding of cancer and other inherited or infectious diseases.”
About HudsonAlpha
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological problems. Its mission is three-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; fostering biotech entrepreneurship; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art facilities co-locate scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus allow serendipity to yield results in medicine and agriculture. Since opening in 2008, HudsonAlpha, under the leadership of Dr. Richard M. Myers, a key collaborator on the Human Genome Project, has built a name for itself in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and boasts 27 biotech companies on campus. For more information, please visit: http://beta.hudsonalpha.org.
About RainDance Technologies
RainDance Technologies is making complex genetics simple. The company’s ultra-sensitive genomic tools enable research of novel non-invasive Fluid Biopsy™ applications that should result in more accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and early detection of cancer and other inherited and infectious diseases. Major research institutions and laboratories around the world rely on the performance of RainDance systems. Based outside Boston, Massachusetts, the company supports customers using RainDrop Digital PCR and ThunderStorm Next-Generation Sequencing Content Enrichment Systems through its international sales and service operations, as well as a global network of distributors and commercial service providers. For more information, please visit www.RainDanceTech.com.
Media Contacts
For RainDance Technologies:
Pamela Mahoney
BlueChair Group
(408) 674-6997
pamela@bluechairgroup.com
For HudsonAlpha:
Heather Smith
(256) 327-9508
communications@hudsonalpha.org
