Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb) today announced the launch of five Droplet Digital™ PCR (ddPCR) Multiplex Mutation Screening Kits for detecting several key actionable cancer mutations and the wild-type allele in a single reaction. The combination of ddPCR and multiplexing technologies increases the throughput of genetic analysis to give clinical researchers more information per patient sample.
With this launch, Bio-Rad’s ddPCR Multiplex Mutation Screening portfolio comprises KRAS Q61, NRAS G12, NRAS G12/G13, NRAS Q61, and BRAF V600 screening kits in addition to the commercially available KRAS G12/G13 screening kit. Mutations in these genes are common in numerous cancers and screened for during clinical research to connect specific genetic alterations with diagnosis, treatment efficacy, and disease recurrence.
“Bio-Rad’s ddPCR already allows us to achieve high sensitivity in detecting genetic mutations in liquid biopsies,” said Hestia Mellert, PhD, Senior Scientist and Project Manager at Biodesix, Inc. “The new multiplex mutation screening kits give us even more information per sample, by allowing us to screen for multiple mutations and wild type at once and maintain a test-to-result turnaround time within 72 hours.”
Sample partitioning in ddPCR enables the detection of rare nucleic acid sequences in a complex background of competing sequences, while minimizing the effect of inhibitory substances. The ddPCR Multiplex Mutation Screening Kits identify mutations present at allelic frequencies at or below 0.5%, making them ideal for use with formalin fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) and liquid biopsy samples. The precision and sensitivity offered by the kits also enables early detection of important biomarkers.