Kathy Rowlen, InDevR’s CEO, a guest blogger for GE Global Research: Low Complexity Microarrays: Ascendant Technology for Cost Effective Diagnostics
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A recent analysis found that the global microarray market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2010 with significant growth anticipated for the next several years. To date the microarray market has been defined by high density arrays, which contain thousands of bits of information per test, offered by companies such as Affymetrix, Agilent, and Illumina. Primary applications for high density microarrays include gene expression profiling, biomarker profiling, and more recently cancer diagnostics.
According to the cited market report, growth in the microarray market is expected to come from the personalized medicine drive in healthcare as well as advances in lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology. However, given the cost and complexity associated with each high density microarray experiment, and emerging competition from alternate genome sequencing technologies, there is concern that the high density microarray technology may actually lose ground. For example, Life Technologies acquired theIon Torrent’s technology for rapid genome sequencing and claims that it will meet the goal of a “$1000 genome” by the end of 2012.
The other driving force for microarray market growth, lab-on-a-chip, is based on the concept that a complete chemical or biochemical assay, from sample to result, can be engineered into a single, compact device. While the technology has been slowly evolving over the past couple of decades, it appears to be finally emerging as a new tool for diagnostics. One promising field combines the multiplexing capabilities of microarrays with the efficiency of LOC.
For infectious disease diagnostics, success in the marketplace demands that the assay information content be balanced against cost. Many small biotech companies are therefore focused on developing low complexity microarrays in conjunction with a fully automated LOC platform. Low complexity microarrays typically contain 10-100 bits of information (in contrast to thousands) and tend to focus on specific targets rather than broad spectrum profiling. Examples of low complexity microarrays in commercial development include InDevR’s FluChip assay for rapid strain identification of influenza, Great Basin’s MRSA array for identification of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, and Rehonix’s CARD system for identification of 20 human papillomavirus types.
In what we believe is an exciting new chapter in the story of low complexity microarrays and LOC, GE announced today that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is sponsoring development of a breakthrough diagnostic platform capable of simultaneously analyzing nucleic acids and proteins for application to a broad range of diagnostic applications. GE scientists will be partnering with InDevR to develop a device that is highly portable, easy to use and requires little training. DARPA is interested in new, cost effective healthcare tools that can be used at the point-of-care to aid soldiers in the field or on humanitarian missions in remote areas where access to care is limited.
At the heart of the new platform will be an assay built around GE’s easy-to-use reagents and InDevR’s low complexity microarrays for diagnosing respiratory virus infections, including influenza. We are excited to be a part of this rapidly evolving field and see a bright future for the “less is more” approach.
