Sigma Life Science announces global release of CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit

Apr 20 2010

Sigma® Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq: SIAL), today announced an extension to its award-winning CompoZr® product offering with the global release of the CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit, AAVS1 (www.sigma.com/aavs1).  This kit provides a powerful method for the controlled transgene integration and expression of any gene in any human cell line using Sigma-Aldrich's proprietary CompoZr Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) technology.

Specifically, the CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit enables users to rapidly integrate their gene of interest into a single locus on human chromosome 19, from where it will be expressed in a stable manner. Unlike other methods for transgene expression in human cells, this kit enables users to study their gene in the cell line of their choice, providing stable, uniform protein expression while eliminating the need to engineer cell lines with transgene landing pads.

"Our new Targeted Integration Kit provides a valuable tool for scientists working with all types of human cells, including stem cells," said Patrick Sullivan, vice president of Research and Development for Sigma-Aldrich's Research Biotech business unit.  "Similar to what the Rosa26 locus has done for transgenic research in mice, we believe the AAVS1 locus will provide a 'safe harbor' site from which to study gene function and expression.  The kit, using Zinc Finger Nuclease technology, enables researchers to insert any gene construct into the human genome. This new kit is an exciting addition to our offering of CompoZr products, and will facilitate the construction of isogenic cells with permanent, stable gene expression."

The CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit offers a number of benefits over current methods of transgene expression in human cells. Traditional use of random insertion to introduce a DNA construct into the human genome may lead to gene disruption, variable epigenetic effects on transgene expression and presence of an unknown number of integrants in each cell, making comparisons difficult between isolated single cell clones. The CompoZr Targeted Integration Kit uses a ZFN to target the transgene specifically into the AAVS1 locus in the human genome leading to mono- or bi-allelic insertions enabling the stable expression and study of transgenes in cell lines where the number of integrants and the locus of integration is controlled by the researcher.  

SOURCE Sigma-Aldrich