CytoSure™ Molecular Testing Arrays and Panels

CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays and Panels are designed to identify small intragenic copy number variations (CNVs) in genes associated with a variety of molecular disorders. Three catalogue arrays, which consist of numerous gene panels, are available. These arrays enable clinical researchers to investigate neuromuscular disorders, in-born metabolic disorders, and mental retardation and autism. CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays and Panels have been designed in collaboration with leading molecular genetics experts at the Emory University School of Medicine.

CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays and Panels deliver:

• Cost-effective processing — multiple molecular disorders covered in a single array
• Flexible array content and formats — create the ideal array for your needs
• Easy data interpretation using optimised protocols and industry-leading CytoSure Interpret Software

Ordering Information

* Not available in the USA.
CytoSure™ products are for research use only; not for use in diagnostic procedures. 

Cost-effective processing

Genetic research into molecular disorder samples is typically done in batches to ensure cost-effective processing. However, collecting sufficient samples, especially for rare disorders can significantly delay analysis. Through combining informative probes for multiple molecular disorders on a single array, CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays allow immediate and accurate processing of diverse samples, thereby reducing both time to analysis and cost.

Each CytoSure Molecular Testing Array contains a range of disorder panels. Each disorder panel consists of a number of genes specific to that condition (Table 1). Each gene is targeted by multiple exon-specific probes, allowing accurate detection of copy number variations (CNVs) encompassing single and multiple exons.

The probes for each gene have been selected from OGT’s proprietary Oligome™ database — a database of over 23 million in silico optimised oligonucleotide probes. CytoSure arrays utilise 60mer oligonucleotide probes, which have been shown to offer higher signal-to-noise ratios though increased specificity and sensitivity¹. To further improve performance, each panel has been verified to contain no gaps in the gene coverage.

Table 1: Genetic disorders detected by CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays and Panels. CytoSure Molecular Testing Array A* is focused on neuromuscular disorders and is available in 8x60k format. CytoSure Molecular Testing Array B is focussed on in-born metabolic disorders and is available in 4x180k format. CytoSure Molecular Testing Array C is focused on mental retardation and autism and is available in 4x180k format. * Not available in the USA.

Flexible array content and formats

CytoSure Molecular Testing Arrays consist of numerous gene panels covering a range of different molecular disorders. These panels have been combined to create three different catalogue arrays (Table 1). In addition, the panels can be combined to create a bespoke custom array, to suit your specific requirements. Any array format is available to suit your precise needs, with the most typical being 8 x 60k and 4 x 180k arrays.The optimised array design coupled with the powerful CytoSure Interpret Software that accompanies each array ensures sensitive detection of aberrations as small as a few kilobases within each gene exon (Figure 1).

Figure 1: CytoSure Interpret Software easily detects and displays small aberrations. Shown here is a 3.7kb deletion on chromosome 1 in exon 5 of the DBT gene (causative of Maple Syrup Urine disease). Data kindly provided by Madhuri Hegde, Ph.D., FACMG, Emory University.

Easy data interpretation

All CytoSure arrays are provided with CytoSure Interpret Software, which is a powerful, easy-to-use package for the analysis of aCGH data. Innovative features such as the Accelerate Workflow enable standardised and automated data analysis. In addition, extensive annotation tracks covering syndromes, genes, exons, CNV and recombination hotspots — each of which link to publically available databases — can be used to provide results in context. All CytoSure arrays have been validated using CytoSure Genomic DNA Labelling Kits; these labelling kits have been uniquely developed and optimised to enable rapid delivery of high-quality results with excellent signal-to-noise ratios. Two formats are available; the CytoSure Genomic DNA Labelling Kit is sufficient for 24 samples and is ideal for labs running one or two arrays a week. For high-throughput labs, the CytoSure HT Genomic DNA Labelling Kit is recommended as its plate-based protocol allows simultaneous labelling of 96 samples. To achieve the best quality data possible, is it is recommended that CytoSure arrays are used in conjunction with CytoSure Genomic DNA Labelling Kits.

Ordering Information

Related products

* Not available in the USA.
CytoSure™ products are for research use only; not for use in diagnostic procedures. 

References

1. Curtis, C. et al (2009) The pitfalls of platform comparison: DNA copy number array technologies assessed. BMC Genomics 2009, 10:588