The Hitachi Software MiraiBio Group Blog

Hitachi Software’s MiraiBio Group has recently launched 2 new software tools in the DNASIS SmartNote web application: the Allele Specific Primer Extension (ASPE) Assay Design tool and the xTAG Software (formerly TagIT) tool. These tools are important time savers for those who are interested in multiplexing their SNP or genotyping assays on the Luminex xMAP (also sold by Bio-Rad as the Bio-Plex) platform.

The ASPE Assay Design tool designs probes and primers by optimizing melting temperatures and screening for cross reactivity among the probe and primer sets. All you have to do is to provide the tool with your sequences, SNP position, and allele variants (if you have the SNP rs accession number this information will automatically be populated ). You will get a comprehensive report on the amplification primer pairs that are recommended along with the tagged allele specific primers and the corresponding MicroPlex xTAG Microspheres (formerly FlexMAP beads) to use in your assay. You will even be able to purchase the Microspheres directly from Hitachi Software! It doesn’t get any easier than this.

If you have already designed your allele specific primers, then you have the option of using the xTAG Software tool to select the right MicroPlex xTAG Microspheres to use in your assay.

DNASIS SmartNote is a free web application that is an in silico lab notebook for molecular biologists. Use it to:

Try it out!

Just as a rose by any other name smells as sweet, MicroPlex Microspheres, formerly known as xMap compatible Multi-Analyte COOH Microspheres or Carboxylated Beads, have a new name, but still deliver excellent results for researchers seeking cost-effective, quick, and focused bioassays.

Polystyrene MicroPlex Microspheres are sold by several vendors, and are essentially identical in size, concentration, and shelf life. Also known as beads, they are internally labeled with dyes and contain exposed carboxyl groups for the covalent attachment of ligands and biomolecules. As opposed to solid planar arrays, beads are used in wet chemistry, taking advantage of faster liquid reaction kinetics, requiring smaller sample sizes, and delivering faster, more reproducible results than solid, planar alternatives.

Researchers can purchase pre-prepared beads in kits sold by Luminex partners, such as Panomics (www.panomics.com), or attach their own ligands, using a variety of simple published methods. MicroPlex Microspheres are sold in 100 distinct color-coded varieties (called bead regions), each of which can be coated with a specific reagent needed for a particular assay. Researchers can test up to 40 samples in duplicate on a single 8 point standard curve using a 100 well plate. Plates can be stacked for multiplexing, saving time and labor costs.

Once coated with a ligand or biomolecule, these beads allow the capture and detection of specific analytes from a variety of samples using any Luminex xMAP instrument. Within the reader, individual beads are analyzed by two lasers (red and green) which simultaneously excite the dyes within each bead and a reporter dye captured during the assay. The system rapidly performs multiple readings of each bead, ensuring a high degree of accuracy in the results.

For more information on purchasing MicroPlex Microspheres click the link below:

http://www.miraibio.com/microspheres/microplex-microspheres-carboxylated-beads.html

Better communication improves any relationship, so we’ve started this blog to enhance communication with our customers. We’re going to use this blog to discuss what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and why. Our goal is to offer useful information, help our customers know us better and get to know them better, talk openly about what we’re about and build trust.

We’ll be discussing Luminex instruments, assays, bioinformatics software, and anything else that helps biologists work more efficiently, particularly if it has to do with software.

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