Roche has announced the launch of the SeqCap Epi target enrichment system for DNA methylation assessment at single-base resolution. This system includes both a fixed content epigenome-wide design and a full range of custom target offerings. This product line was designed to provide epigenetic researchers with next-generation tools to study DNA methylation with advantages in breadth, depth and throughput over other technologies currently available in the market.

DNA methylation has been shown to play an important role in a host of biological processes, including gene expression, dosage compensation, genome stability and more. Its involvement in cancer and many other diseases has been increasingly studied, in recent years. Current research tools either provide limited efficiency or introduce experimental biases for genome-wide or targeted applications. Based on the proprietary probe design and manufacturing technologies from NimbleGen, the SeqCap Epi System, which was developed through collaborations with a number of key opinion leaders in epigenetic research, is designed to dramatically increase efficiency and accuracy for broad discovery applications as well as focused DNA methylation studies.

“We realized the strategy underlying the NimbleGen technology could help overcome a number of challenges in DNA methylation analysis,” said Dr. John Greally, Director of Center for Epigenomics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who has been a key collaborator of NimbleGen’s. “The SeqCap Epi custom designs have allowed us to focus our sequencing in a way that is tailored to the cell type we're studying, using new information about regulatory landscapes from the ENCODE and Roadmap projects. This allows us to get the most out of our sequencing, getting us beyond the inflexible genomic survey approaches the field has used in recent years.”

Epigenetic modifications also affect plant and animal trait development with agricultural applications. “NimbleGen’s technology has unique advantages for targeted bisulfite sequencing beyond the human genome,” said Nathan Springer,  Director of Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute at University of Minnesota, another key collaborator of NimbleGen’s, “which makes it suitable for significant efficiency improvement and cost reduction in agricultural genomic research.”

“We are very excited to introduce a novel system for epigenetic research, through encouraging collaborations with leading scientists in this field.” said Dr. Rebecca Selzer, President, Roche NimbleGen. “This is another success story where the research community is utilizing NimbleGen technologies for developing better tools aimed at more meaningful discovery.”