Menarini Silicon Biosystems Introduces New DEPArray SamplePrep Kit for Analysis of FFPE Tissue Samples

BOLOGNA, Italy and HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa., Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini Silicon Biosystems announced today that it will launch the DEPArray™ FFPE SamplePrep Kit at the upcoming annual meeting of the Association of Molecular Pathology.

The DEPArray SamplePrep Kit is the first commercially available kit for the disaggregation and staining of FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) tissue sections down to a single-cell suspension. The kit enables the detection, identification, and recovery of different cell populations by the DEPArray system based on specific immunofluorescent staining and DNA content, which guarantees the recovery of 100% pure tumor cell populations. Obtaining pure cell populations enhances downstream analysis, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), and the identification of molecular targets for personalized therapies.

The kit has been tested using FFPE human tissue sections of primary and metastatic keratin-positive carcinomas in lung, breast, colon, pancreas, prostate and ovarian tissues. Analysis of FFPE samples is streamlined by assembling all the reagents into one kit and by providing a standardized protocol that is optimized for the DEPArray system. This can reduce user variability in sorting various cell populations from FFPE tissue, further improving downstream analysis.

The innovative DEPArray FFPE workflow resolves tumor sample heterogeneity by separating pure tumor and stromal cell populations from FFPE tissue. Unlike bulk, unsorted cell population analysis, pure tumor population analysis reveals mutations, homozygosity, and copy-number alterations (CNAs) that enable precise genomic analysis and support therapeutic decision making.

"The FFPE Sample Prep kit is the latest innovation in the successful DEPArray line of products," said Bob Roda, President and CEO of Menarini Silicon Biosystems Inc. "This kit brings value to laboratories working with this type of tissue sample by standardizing the dissociation protocol and reducing variability while also offering a reduction in total sample prep time." 

As part of the launch, Menarini Silicon Biosystems will be hosting a pre-conference workshop that will introduce attendees to the DEPArray technology and its FFPE application, as well as the importance of obtaining pure cell populations for comprehensive molecular analysis.

The workshop, titled DEPArray Enables Isolation of Pure Tumor Cells from FFPE Samples for Precise Genomic Analysis, will be led by Nina Korzeniewski, PhD National Scientific Affairs Liaison for Menarini Silicon Biosystems. It will take place on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. in Room 214C of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

The Association of Molecular Pathology meeting will be held Nov. 1-3, 2018 in San Antonio.

About Menarini Silicon Biosystems
Menarini Silicon Biosystems, based in Bologna, Italy, and Huntingdon Valley (PA), USA, develops technologies and products that help researchers understand the biological complexity of disease through the study of single cells. The company manufactures and markets the DEPArray^TM NxT, the only image-based digital cell-sorting and isolation platform that enables clinical researchers to conduct molecular analyses on live or fixed cells with single-cell precision. In 2017 Menarini Silicon Biosystems purchased all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH® Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) System. The integration of CELLSEARCH® and DEPArray provides an end-to-end workflow solution** for the enumeration, isolation, and molecular characterization of CTCs from a simple blood test in the clinical research setting. This will help drive the clinical utility and correlation of CTCs with the effectiveness of specific therapies. Menarini Silicon Biosystems is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, a multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Florence, Italy, with a heritage of over 130 years and over 17,000 employees in more than 100 countries.

*For more information on the full intended use and limitations of CELLSEARCH system, please refer to the Instructions for Use on http://documents.cellsearchctc.com/.

**The workflow described is for research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. The performance characteristics, safety, and effectiveness of the workflow have not been established and are not cleared or approved by the FDA.

Contact: Liz Dowling, (415) 388-2794
Dowling & Dennis PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Menarini Silicon Biosystems

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