BGI Tech develops whole exome sequencing analysis of FFPE DNA samples to boost biomedicine

Achieving optimization of FFPE DNA library construction with DNA down to 200 ng

2012-09-18

(Press-News.org) September 18, 2012, Shenzhen, China – BGI Tech Solutions Co., Ltd. (the "BGI Tech"), a subsidiary company of BGI, announced today that they have achieved whole exome sequencing analysis of total degraded DNA as low as 200 ng from formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. This advancement enables researchers to efficiently uncover the genetic information from FFPE disease samples such as cancers and infectious diseases, with the advantages of high reliability, accuracy and fast turnaround time. FFPE samples are the most common biological materials for disease diagnoses and clinical studies. Especially in cancer research, millions of FFPE archival cancer tissue samples provide an enormous and invaluable repository of information, which hold a wealth of data for the discovery of biomarkers, drug development as well as diseases diagnosis and treatment. However, during the FFPE sample preparation and storage process, the effect of formaldehyde on nucleic acids is detrimental, which can induce modification of nucleotide molecules, such as DNA damage, DNA-protein cross-links (DPC), among others. This may lay problems for researchers to get enough high-quality DNA from these FFPE samples to comprehensively explore the genetic characteristics of diseases, especially for some rare tumors. FFPE samples are a unique sample type with a lot of challenges, and researchers from BGI Tech have optimized the DNA extraction, library construction and sequencing pipelines of FFPE DNA samples. At present, DNA as low as 200 ng from FFPE samples can be used for whole exome sequencing. To insure the accuracy and quality of sequencing, researchers evaluated the FFPE DNA sequencing results and demonstrated that FFPE exome sequencing could maintain the equivalent accuracy and reliability with the normal DNA sample sequencing. It is reported that ~85% of genetic diseases are related with exome variations. Whole exome sequencing is a robust innovative technique that selectively sequences the coding regions of a genome and can be used to identify novel genes associated with rare and common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity. However, currently traditional exome sequencing has higher requirement for the quality and the amount of input of DNA samples. Zhao Lin, Director of Products R&D Department of BGI Tech, said, "Our whole exome sequencing technology with FFPE DNA sample is an important step toward better and quickly decoding the genetic information underlying FFPE diseases samples. I believe this advancement will strengthen the confidence of researchers in pharmaceutical and disease areas, especially when samples are limited. In order to accelerate biomedical research, we expect to conduct more FFPE sequencing projects with collaborators worldwide."

### About BGI Tech Solutions Co., LTD BGI Tech aims to provide advanced multi-omics and bioinformatics service solutions for its global customers to achieve their research goals in biomedical, agricultural, and environmental areas. BGI Tech was established as a subsidiary company of BGI, one of the largest genomics organizations in the world with multiple great scientific achievements and over 250 publications in top-tier journals such as Nature and Science. Equipped with the industry's broadestcoupled with an experienced team of scientists and bioinformaticians,, BGI Tech delivers rapid, cost-effective, and high-quality results that enable researchers to achieve scientific breakthroughs. For more information, please visit www.bgitechsolutions.com

Contact information: Zhao Lin
Director of New Products Department of BGI Tech
linzhao@genomics.cn
www.bigtechsolutions.com

Bicheng Yang,
Public Communication Officer
+86-755-82639701
yangbicheng@genomics.cn
www.genomics.cn

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Hopes that new substance will induce cancer cell suicide

2012-09-18

The p53 gene plays a key role in the prevention of cancer, by blocking cell growth and triggering programmed cell death or apoptosis. If, however, p53 has mutated and become defective, the cancer cells can acquire the ability to evade apoptosis and become more resistant to therapy. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have now obtained results from the first tests using a new substance that can restore the function of defective p53 and activate apoptosis in cancer cells. The substance is known as APR-246 and has now been tested ...

Bariatric surgery substantially reduces the risk of diabetes

2012-09-18

Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. A study conducted by Professor Lars Sjöström, Professor Lena Carlsson and their team at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, has found that bariatric surgery is considerably more effective than traditional care and lifestyle changes in preventing diabetes among people with obesity. The treatment group consisted ...

How Swedes feel about health, culture and recycling of clothes

2012-09-18

Our values change as we age. This is the main conclusion of the 2011 SOM survey, from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, where Swedes were asked to rate the importance of different values. Young people want their lives to be exciting, whereas the older prioritise national security. Cultural life does not promote physical health, but does affect a person's perceived well-being. Three Swedes in five throw away clothes that are in usable condition. 'Our most interesting finding is that people born in the 1960s and 1970s seem to be adopting the values of their parents' ...

Who is entitled to social welfare?

2012-09-18

A Danish researcher has compared two of the most different welfare systems in the western world. Despite the differences, the research shows surprising similarities in the way in which people in the USA and Denmark perceive the deservingness of welfare recipients. This is one of the conclusions presented in a research article by the highly recognised American Journal of Political Science. - The question of whether a person deserves help or not triggers a number of deep psychological processes. No matter where we come from, whether we are right or left-wing - it is ...

New findings on protein misfolding

2012-09-18

Misfolded proteins can cause various neurodegenerative diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) or Huntington's disease, which are characterized by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain. Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, together with their colleagues of the Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France, have now identified 21 proteins that specifically bind to a protein called ataxin-1. Twelve of these proteins enhance the misfolding of ataxin-1 and thus promote the formation of harmful protein aggregate structures, ...

New gene offers hope for preventive medicine against fractures

2012-09-18

A big international study has identified a special gene that regulates bone density and bone strength. The gene can be used as a risk marker for fractures and opens up opportunities for preventive medicine against fractures. The study, led by the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was published in the journal PLoS Genetics. The international study, which involved more than 50 researchers from Europe, North America and Australia and was led by Associate Professor Mattias Lorentzon and Professor Claes Ohlsson at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of ...

Do you want to know another role of ribonucleotide reductase M2?

2012-09-18

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In addition, the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer are on the rise. Recently, metabolic genes have received increasing and specific attention due to their potential role in carcinogenesis. Previous studies have shown that alterations in ribonucleotide reductase (RR) levels may significantly influence the biological properties of cells, including tumor promotion and tumor progression, suggesting that RR may be implicated in tumorigenesis. Recent findings have established that ...

Research study on the location of the Island of Stability of Super-Heavy Elements

2012-09-18

An international research group – with the participation of the University of Granada – has achieved to measure the effects of layers on super-heavy elements, which provides useful data on the nuclear structure of these as-yet undiscovered elements in Nature. These results might be useful to locate the so-called "Island of Stability" introduced by a theory that states the existence of highly stable super-heavy elements with very long average lives. The researchers measured the isotopes of nobelium and lawrence using a particle accelerator at the Center of for Heavy Ion ...

Tasered youth fare as well as adults, new research says

2012-09-18

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Sept. 18, 2012 -- Adolescents who are tasered by law enforcement officers do not appear to be at higher risk for serious injury than adults, according to new a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers. This latest research from Wake Forest Baptist is the first to specifically investigate Taser use on adolescents. Lead author Alison R. Gardner, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest Baptist, found no major differences in the injury rates or types of injuries to youth when compared to adults. "We were ...

Consumers differ in desire for explanation, says new CU-Brown University study

2012-09-18

The depth of explanation about novel products influences consumer preferences and willingness to pay, according to a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder and Brown University. When it comes to descriptions about the functions of new and unusual goods -- such as a self-watering plant system, special gloves for touchscreens or an eraser for wall scratches -- some people prefer minimal details. Dubbed "explanation foes" in the study, they gain a strong sense of understanding and desire for products through shallow explanations. In contrast, other people -- dubbed ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

How rice plants tell head from toe during early growth

Scientists design solar-responsive biochar that accelerates environmental cleanup

Construction of a localized immune niche via supramolecular hydrogel vaccine to elicit durable and enhanced immunity against infectious diseases

Deep learning-based discovery of tetrahydrocarbazoles as broad-spectrum antitumor agents and click-activated strategy for targeted cancer therapy

DHL-11, a novel prieurianin-type limonoid isolated from Munronia henryi, targeting IMPDH2 to inhibit triple-negative breast cancer

Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors and RIPK1 inhibitors with synergistic antiviral efficacy in a mouse COVID-19 model

Neg-entropy is the true drug target for chronic diseases

Oxygen-boosted dual-section microneedle patch for enhanced drug penetration and improved photodynamic and anti-inflammatory therapy in psoriasis

Around the world, children’s cooperative behaviors and norms converge toward community-specific norms in middle childhood, Boston College researchers report