SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2006--In BW5534 issued Sept.8, 2006: First graph, correct url should read:http://www.nature.com/nbt/focus/maqc/index.html (stedhttp://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/index.html).
The corrected release reads:
FEDERAL MICROARRAY QUALITY CONTROL STUDY ADDRESSESINTERCOMPATABILITY OF MICROARRAY GENE EXPRESSION PLATFORMS; RESULTSPAVE THE WAY FOR RESEARCHERS TO CHOOSE PLATFORM BASED ON PERFORMANCE,VALUE, EASE OF USE AND QUALITY OF CONTENT
The FDA-led MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC) project findingsannounced today (http://www.nature.com/nbt/focus/maqc/index.html) showthat microarray gene expression data from the commercial platformstested in the study show high degrees of correlation. The results,published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Biotechnology, indicatesthat scientists have the ability to choose a gene expression platformbased on value, ease of use and quality of content, with little to nolegacy data concerns.
The MAQC project successfully compared multiple whole-genome geneexpression profiles across various commercial platforms at anunprecedented scale. It showed that there was a relatively high levelof agreement between all platforms as well concordance with reversetranscription PCR technology, a separate technique for measuringdifferential gene expression, confirming that microarray data isdirectly comparable, accurate and biologically significant.
"The MAQC project observed intraplatform reproducibility acrosstest sites as well as high interplatform concordance in terms of genesidentified as differentially expressed," said Leming Shi, MAQC projectdirector at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's National Centerfor Toxicological Research. "One major result was that platforms withdivergent approaches often generated comparable results ofdifferential gene expression. In other words, the differential geneexpression patterns generated were reflective of biology regardless ofthe difference in technology platforms."
"Given such high levels of concordance, choosing a gene expressionplatform should primarily be driven by such factors as cost, ease ofuse and quality of content," said Shawn Baker, Illumina's geneexpression scientific product manager. "Illumina's BeadChips, whichwere shown to consistently be among the very best performers acrossthe various technical measurements assessed by the MAQC, are alsosubstantially less expensive than all other commercial whole-genomearrays used in the study. With array and reagent costs less than halfthat of other commercial arrays, the use of Illumina BeadChips allowsfor experimental designs to be expanded, yielding more powerful andfarther-reaching results with the same research budget."
The MAQC results pave the way for microarray researchers to tacklethe legacy data issue. Until now, researchers have hesitated to usethe latest microarray gene expression technology due to concernsaround inconsistent data when comparing new findings against researchderived from older or different microarray technology. Similar resultshave been validated elsewhere(http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mcp.2006.07.004). Illumina is workingwith industry leaders to develop tools that will facilitate migrationof legacy data to its gene expression platform.
The MAQC project was established to generate a set of qualitycontrol tools and standards for the microarray research community andadvance pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics for more effectivemedicines and medical products. The project involved 137 participantsrepresenting 51 organizations, including the FDA, NIH, EPA and USDA,all major whole-genome gene expression platform providers includingIllumina as well as several alternative gene expression platformproviders. MAQC included validated reference samples, a largecollection of multiplatform reference datasets as well as analysistools. As a MAQC project participant, Illumina has posted its geneexpression data at www.switchtoi.com.
For more information on this project, visit the MAQC website:http://www.fda.gov/nctr/science/centers/toxicoinformatics/maqc/index.htm
About Illumina
Illumina (Nasdaq:ILMN) (www.illumina.com) develops and marketsnext-generation tools for the large-scale analysis of geneticvariation and function. The Company's proprietary BeadArray technology-- used in leading genomics centers around the world -- provides thethroughput, cost effectiveness and flexibility necessary to enableresearchers in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries toperform the billions of tests necessary to extract medically valuableinformation from advances in genomics and proteomics. This informationwill help pave the way to personalized medicine by correlating geneticvariation and gene function with particular disease states, enhancingdrug discovery, allowing diseases to be detected earlier and morespecifically, and permitting better choices of drugs for individualpatients.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities LitigationReform Act of 1995: This release may contain forward-lookingstatements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the importantfactors that could cause actual results to differ materially fromthose in any forward-looking statements are the costs and outcome ofIllumina's litigation with Affymetrix, the Company's ability to scaleand integrate CyVera technology, the ability to further scale oligosynthesis output and technology to satisfy market demand deriving fromthe Company's collaboration with Invitrogen, Illumina's ability tofurther develop and commercialize its BeadArray technologies and todeploy new gene expression and genotyping products and applicationsfor its platform technology, to manufacture robust Sentrix(R) arrays-- including HumanHap BeadChips -- and Oligator(R) oligonucleotides,and other factors detailed in the Company's filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commission including its recent filings onForms 10-K and 10-Q or in information disclosed in public conferencecalls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. Illuminadisclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-lookingstatements beyond the date of this release.
CONTACT: Illumina, Inc.
Kenneth Li, +312-375-1157
kli@chempetitive.com
Karen Possemato, +1 858 202.4575
kpossemato@illumina.com
SOURCE: Illumina, Inc.