Our Technology
High-fidelity, sensitive and powerful technologies that revolutionize the analysis of the most challenging genomic samples and let you imagine more from less.
Whole-genome and whole-transcriptome amplification — NuGEN®'s proprietary SPIA® technology (Single Primer Isothermal Amplification) is an elegant method for robust isothermal amplification of nucleic acids. This simple, high-fidelity approach to amplification enables global genomic analysis of limited and/or compromised biological samples, overcoming the challenges of sample quality and quantity, and enabling researchers to analyze laser captured microdissections, fine-needle aspirates, sorted cells, circulating tumor cells, embryonic structures, and other precious clinical samples such as biopsies and Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) samples.
SPIA and Ribo-SPIA are rapid and sensitive strand displacement amplification methods that use DNA/RNA chimeric primers (SPIA primers), DNA polymerase, and RNase in a single tube at constant temperature. After generation of a double-stranded DNA molecule (SPIA template) incorporated with a SPIA tag at one end, amplification is accomplished by binding and extension of a single SPIA primer. Initially RNase H unmasks the priming site by digesting RNA in the heteroduplex tags, revealing a single-stranded DNA sequence that is complementary to the SPIA primer. The SPIA primer binds to this site and is extended by a strand-displacing DNA polymerase to copy the complementary strand. The continuous, highly efficient nature of the SPIA/Ribo-SPIA isothermal amplification reaction makes it possible to generate microgram amounts of DNA or cDNA. The amplification process is highly reproducible, maintaining the stoichiometry of input material, and thereby faithfully preserving biological information.
In combination with a range of creative adaptor addition strategies, SPIA can be applied for whole transcriptome, whole genome or targeted sequence amplification.
Selective sequence priming and enrichment — through proprietary primer design strategies, combined with innovative assay design, NuGEN has developed a highly sophisticated technology for selectively enriching target sequences in the reverse transcription and first strand cDNA synthesis steps. With these strategies, desired sequences can be made into NGS libraries in a streamlined workflow, bypassing any column- or bead-based sequence enrichment procedure, and substantially improving efficiency, throughput, automatability and data quality.
Direct lysis technology — NuGEN has evolved the assay workflow to integrate a direct lysis solution with downstream amplification bypassing any nucleic acid purification and improving workflow, automation, and ease of use. This is essential when working with extremely small quantities of samples to ensure high-quality results.