Assay developer Illumina Inc. has formed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagent portfolio, including a probe-based chemistry for gene expression analysis called NuPCR. Also new in the line are the qPCR DNA Binding Dye (DBD) assays for gene expression analysis and qPCR High Resolution Melting (HRM) assays for genotyping studies, providing researchers with a trio of options in the qPCR reagent market.

While PCR is used to amplify and simultaneously quantify a targeted DNA molecule, real-time PCR allows the scientist to view the increase in the amount of DNA as it is amplified.

NuPCR is a probe-based qPCR technology that is designed to show improved specificity and sensitivity to complex gene targets, as compared to existing qPCR technologies on the market today. Leveraging DesignStudio, a personalized, web-based design tool available to Illumina customers, the company claims NuPCR allows researchers the ability to quickly build custom multiplexed assays. The software delivers bioinformatically optimized assays, and is designed to reduce the trial-and-error process of optimization. NuPCR, DBD, and HRM assays are compatible with any real-time PCR instrument platform, offering researchers a wider range of reagent choices to implement on their existing instrumentation.

“Real-time PCR methodology is integral to our research and thus, we were very excited to learn about Illumina’s NuPCR technology,” said Randal J. Kaufman, Ph.D., director of degenerative disease research at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. “DesignStudio makes it easy to design and order probes, especially for our multiplex reactions. We anticipate the product’s quality, lower cost and simplified multiplexing will yield substantial savings over other probe-based technologies.”

Illumina is keen to highlight the low cost of its new reagents. Senior Vice President and General Manager of molecular biology at Illumina Mark Lewis called the cost a “disruptive price point.” He also noted that “now, customers can perform more experiments with their current resources and on any platform.”

Illumina is based in San Diego, Calif., and provides products and services for single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping, copy number variation, DNA methylation studies, gene expression profiling, and low-multiplex analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins.

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