Generation of High-Quality MAQC Data With Eppendorf DualChips® Does Not Require Prior Product Experience
The MAQC (Micro Array Quality Control) study was published in the September 2006 issue of Nature Biotechnology and reflects high concordance of different microarray platform data. Eppendorf appreciates the MAQC study as an initial step towards a guideline for microarray use in medical product development and personalized medicine.
In contrast to the other manufacturers who used established core facilities and extremely experienced users of their platforms in order to obtain best possible data, Eppendorf chose sites with little or no experience with its platform. “We believe this to be an important requirement to establish microarrays for diagnostic products”, said Sven Bülow, Ph.D., Managing Director of Eppendorf Biochip Systems. Additionally, all of the Eppendorf sites used different scanner types and quantification software, reflecting the typical challenges for inter-lab comparison of results. Notably, all data generated using the Eppendorf DualChips showed good inter-site reproducibility and was highly correlated to the other platforms.
“Eppendorf DualChips performed very well in the MAQC project”, states Sven Bülow. “We are one of the two manufacturers which did not remove or exchange any data within the project. We clearly support the idea of standardized use of microarrays, and we have already incorporated many of the MAQC recommendations in our products”.
The purpose of the MAQC project is to provide quality control tools for the microarray community in order to avoid procedural failures and to develop guidelines for microarray data analysis and cross-platform correlation. The project involves FDA Centers, major providers of micro-array platforms and RNA samples, EPA, NIST, academic laboratories, and other stakeholders. Eppendorf is participating in the MAQC project, which is now entering the second phase, with its DualChip® microarray platform.
The results of the MAQC show that the low-density DualChip System is an easy-to-use array platform providing robustness and reproducibility, indeed a system to be used at all levels of microarray experience with high quality results guaranteed.
The Eppendorf Group, based in Hamburg, Germany, is a leading supplier of systems and research tools for the global life science industry with own sales organizations in all major markets. Eppendorf manufactures instruments and consumables for liquid handling including solutions for automation as well as a range of PCR and realtime PCR products. Eppendorf is a market leader in micro-centrifugation with a full range of products for many areas of research. Other products comprise sample preparation, detection, cell technology research and micro-array systems. In fiscal 2005, Eppendorf employed approximately 1,800 people worldwide and achieved sales of 321 million Euros (approx. 400 million US Dollars) which represents a growth rate of approximately 12 % compared to prior year results.
More information on Eppendorf is available at www.eppendorf.com.