New England Biolabs® Lights The Way With Luna® Universal Kits For Simplified qPCR and RT-qPCR

IPSWICH, Mass., Dec. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- New England Biolabs (NEB^®) today announced the launch of its Luna Universal qPCR & RT-qPCR kits, which are optimized for DNA or RNA quantitation from diverse sample sources and target types, and are compatible with a wide range of instruments. The new family of Luna kits utilizes convenient master mix formats and user-friendly protocols to simplify reaction setup, and outperforms other commercially available products based on a variety of criteria, including those previously documented in the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines.

"Quantitation of DNA and RNA using qPCR and RT-qPCR is a cornerstone technique for genetic analysis, as well as molecular diagnostics. However, the market is filled with many different qPCR and RT-qPCR formulations, making it difficult for researchers to find the right product for any given application," said Breton Hornblower Ph.D., Product Marketing Manager at NEB. "We designed our Luna kits so that users only have to answer two simple questions: Is your intended target DNA or RNA, and is your detection method probe-based or dye-based? This greatly simplifies the product selection process."

For added convenience, the Luna qPCR master mixes are formulated with a reference dye that universally supports real-time instruments — including high-ROX, low-ROX and ROX-independent instruments — and a non-interfering blue visible dye to assist in tracking the reagents, when pipetting into clear multi-welled PCR plates.

For RT-qPCR applications, the Luna kits pair Hot Start Taq with Luna WarmStart^® Reverse Transcriptase, a novel, engineered reverse transcriptase (RT) developed for robust performance and increased thermostability. The WarmStart RT enables room temperature reaction setup, and reactions can be carried out between 50 and 60°C.

"The Luna kits are well-suited for those who are concerned about non-specific amplification during reaction setup, or a reduction in RT activity at elevated temperatures. The WarmStart technology helps establish flexibility, while maintaining robustness in specificity and sensitivity," said Hornblower

To meet NEB's high-quality standards, all Luna kits were rigorously tested to ensure optimal performance across a wide range of targets and templates, including varied template length, GC-content, and abundance. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation of commercially available qPCR and RT-qPCR kits via a unique "dots in boxes" scoring method, based in part on MIQE guidelines, revealed that Luna kits consistently outperformed competitor products in both efficiency and data quality.

"The MIQE guidelines help uphold the integrity of qPCR experiments, and thus became a launching point for our method of analysis. We analyzed countless qPCR and RT-qPCR reactions for amplification efficiency, reproducibility, fluorescence consistency, curve steepness and shape, so that customers don't have to," explained Hornblower. "This led to the establishment of our 'dots in boxes' method of analysis, which pulls all these parameters together into one simple visual that allows researchers to quickly evaluate the performance of each product."

For more details about the Luna Universal qPCR & RT-qPCR kits, visit LUNAqPCR.com.

About New England Biolabs
Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. (NEB) is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR and qPCR, gene expression, sample preparation for next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, glycobiology, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors, including molecular diagnostics development. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA, and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and seven subsidiaries located in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com.

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SOURCE New England Biolabs