DNAFORM and RIKEN Institute Announce a New Technology for Molecular Diagnostics Published in Nature Methods.
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - February 19, 2007 - K.K.DNAFORM, a provider of DNA research tools and reagents in Japan, announced today the publication of a new technology for DNA amplification in Nature Methods (online edition). The method was co-developed in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Yoshihide Hayashizaki, a leading international genomics lab at the RIKEN Yokohama Institute, a Japanese government research center funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, Culture and Technology.
The SMart Amplification Process, or SMAP, is an isothermal technique employing a unique mismatch suppression technology and primer design that effectively eliminates background, giving extreme precision in the amplification process. The technology is capable of amplification and detection directly from lysed human blood samples without DNA purification, uses less than one microliter per assay, and takes only 30 minutes from start to finish. In the Nature Methods paper, the data shows sensitivity equivalent to PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and several examples of accurately detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and discriminating them from the wild-type sequence and related gene family members. A website has been established, http://www.smapdna.com/, with links to primer design software and other technical support for the practice of SMAP technology in basic research applications.
“It is our intention to soon offer reagents, kits and services to the academic and commercial research community to support the design of SMAP assays for detection of any DNA sequence. No other DNA amplification technology has the precision to determine single nucleotide differences solely on the basis of amplification alone. The speed, robustness, and design of the SMart Amplification Process offers a unique combination that makes it affordable and highly attractive for pharmacogenomics research and clinical molecular diagnostic applications”, says Hirofumi Ujita, president and CEO of DNAFORM.
About DNAFORM
Founded in 1998 and based on technologies from the RIKEN Institute for the creation of cDNA libraries and clones, K.K.DNAFORM manufactures and distributes products and services to the global research market, supporting drug discovery and basic research in genomics. The research and development of technologies for DNA amplification and molecular diagnostics is a new strategic focus for the organization. For more information visit http://www.dnaform.jp/index_e.html.
CONTACT:
For SMAP technology inquiries, include commercial use licenses, contact DNAFORM at info@smapdna.com.