SANTA CLARA, Calif. - (Business Wire) Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced that the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) will standardize the world
’s largest human genomic copy number variation (CNV) study on Agilent microarrays. The study is designed to determine genetic causes of certain widespread diseases. The samples will be processed by Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), an Agilent microarray Certified Service Provider located in Oxford, UK. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The first phase of the WTCCC involved a collaboration of 24 leading human geneticists who analyzed more than 19,000 DNA samples from patients to identify genetic variants influencing disease susceptibility in: tuberculosis, coronary heart disease, types 1 and 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, bipolar disorder, autoimmune thyroid disease, ankylosing spondylitis, multiple sclerosis, breast cancer and hypertension. The research was conducted at a number of institutes throughout the UK, including the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
Now, in a follow-up to this phase, Agilent will design and fabricate custom whole-genome CNV-focused microarrays, two-per-slide, with each array containing 105,000 probes. OGT and Agilent have developed a streamlined, highly automated protocol that includes the use of the Velocity11 Bravo robot for sample preparation to facilitate the enormous throughput required. Agilent acquired Velocity11 in December 2007.
“This is an important new study of human genetic variation in common disease,” said Matthew Hurles, Ph.D., of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, “for which we require high-resolution microarrays with extremely reproducible performance. We aim to characterize most common structural modifications of DNA that may play a causative role in these diseases. It is exciting, new territory.”
“We’re very pleased to have won a key role in this important work, and we look forward to further demonstrating how Agilent’s microarray quality and total workflow approach are helping investigators study the root causes of complex diseases,” said Yvonne Linney, Ph.D., Agilent vice president and general manager, Genomics.
“OGT is delighted to have been selected as the service provider for this landmark project,” said Mike Evans, D.Phil., OGT’s chief executive. “OGT’s highly skilled microarray services team looks forward to delivering the quality results demanded by WTCCC, using precision Agilent arrays and Velocity11 automation.”
For more information about WTCCC, please visit www.wtccc.org.uk. More information about OGT is available at www.ogt.co.uk. For more information about Agilent’s genomics capabilities, visit www.opengenomics.com.
About Agilent in Genomics
Agilent is a leading worldwide provider of microarray-based, genomics research solutions. Agilent’s end-to-end solution includes reagents for sample preparation and microarray processing; hardware for sample QC and high-throughput microarray scanning; 60-mer oligo microarrays on industry-standard 1” x 3” glass slides for gene expression; comparative genomic hybridization, microRNA, splice variants and chromatin immunoprecipitation applications; custom microarray design services; and industry-leading GeneSpring software products for data analysis.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.4 billion in fiscal 2007. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.
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Agilent Technologies Inc.
Stuart Matlow, +1-408-553-7191
stuart_matlow@agilent.com
