New research from the Karolinska Institute has demonstrated the I-DOT’s capability to facilitate genetic research in cancer diagnostics. The Karolinska Institute in Sweden is at the forefront of cancer research in the world.
Karolinska Institute and Science for Life Laboratory have developed a new method called CUTseq, a cost-effective way to identify highly heterogenous tumors that are often very aggressive and require aggressive treatments. The method works with DNA extracted from multiple biopsies and even from very small portions of thin tissue sections, i.e., the type of sample that pathologists commonly rely on to make a diagnosis of cancer under the microscope. The research has been recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
Outside of cancer research, CUTseq is also used as a method of authenticating cell lines and monitoring throughput. Traditionally, liquid handling is sensitive to cross contamination. This study showed I-DOT was not susceptible to cross contamination during the CUTseq workflow, which corresponds to reduced costs, faster results and enhanced reproducibility. Using the I-DOT, the researchers were able to complete the entire workflow from taking the extracted RNA and DNA all the way through library purification to results in ~8 hours.
I-DOT is developed by Germany-based company Dispendix GmbH, a company CELLINK acquired in November 2018 to increase its presence in the pharmaceutical industry market. The results of this study lay the groundwork for I-DOT’s use in oncological research and can support additional applications in cell line development.