Life Technologies launches Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced the launch of the Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel, enabling scientists to sequence dozens of genes in cancer research samples using a simple workflow. Mutations are confirmed within just one day, starting with a single-tube reaction and 10 ng of DNA extracted from fixed, frozen or fresh tissue. Novel Ion AmpliSeq™ kits prepare targeted regions for sequencing in 3.5 hours of total time, with under 10 minutes of hands-on time, just like standard PCR. The method is scalable to hundreds of genes. Current methods require weeks of work to generate hundreds of gene regions via PCR or hybridization-based capture.

This dramatic improvement in time-to-result will accelerate cancer research, enabling even small labs to run thousands of research samples a year.  The Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel sequences 46 cancer-related genes for over 700 known cancer mutations.  The panel was chosen in collaboration with leading oncologists and cancer researchers. View a video with an Ion AmpliSeq™ user.

Speed: The Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel enables researchers to sequence 190 amplicons in one day starting with a 3.5 hour amplification reaction, then Ion OneTouch™ template preparation, and finally a sequencing run that takes just 90 minutes.

Simplicity: The Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel is the simplest solution because researchers just add DNA to a single tube containing all primers. It's as easy to perform as endpoint PCR, so any trained laboratory technician can do it successfully. The technology is ideal for FFPE or biopsy research samples because it requires only 10 ng of DNA, yet it's sensitive enough to detect variation present in complex research samples at only a 5 percent frequency.

Scalability: Ion AmpliSeq™ technology is highly scalable, accommodating hundreds of genes or DNA regions up to 500 kb in size. It also accommodates a range of budgets. For small projects, researchers can use the Ion 314™ chip for just $99. For larger projects or for barcoding samples, researchers can use the 100 Mb Ion 316™ chip or the 1 Gb Ion 318™ chip, available by the end of 2011. Ion AmpliSeq™ technology is compatible with barcodes and fully configurable in 96 or 384 well plate formats - delivering additional scalability. More information regarding AmpliSeq™ Custom Kits may be obtained at:  www.iontorrent.com/community .

Early access customers have reported excellent results with the Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel:

"While we have only been using Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panels for a short time, we are very pleased with the results," said Dr. Christopher Corless, Medical Director of the Knight Diagnostic Laboratories at Oregon Health and Science University. "We've been able to obtain perfect correlation, in that every mutation we knew about going into the study emerged on the other end of the Ion PGM™ sequencer as an exact match. This technology has enormous potential in clinical research because it's so simple and will enable us to rapidly get more information to our hematologists and oncologists for less money." View a video interview with Dr. Corless.

"The product is remarkably easy to use with very little 'hands on' time," said Marjolijn Ligtenberg, the head of the Laboratory of Tumor Genetics at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands. "The amount of required starting material is incredibly small, considering how many mutations can be tested.  In our first experiment all KRAS mutations previously identified with TaqMan® Mutation Detection assays and Sanger sequencing were confirmed."

"Next generation sequencing will change the clinical management of the cancer patient," said Prof Pierre Laurent-Puig, who runs the Clinical Oncogenetic Unit in the Department of Genetics at the Paris - Descartes University Medical School. "The Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Panel could help us fill some existing gaps between classical mutation detection and exome sequencing. Our testing of this new technology has allowed detection of KRAS and EGFR alterations in colon and lung cancer research samples preserved in paraffin embedded tissue."

"This next generation sequencing technology permits deep sequencing of a panel of mutations at the same time. It can detect mutations at frequencies as low as 5 percent with short turn around time and low cost," said Marilyn M. Li, M.D., director of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine. "This could be an ideal solution for us and we see a great potential for diagnostic applications."

SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation