The Broad
Institute and Fluidigm Corporation have announced the launch of a new research
center dedicated to accelerating the development of research methods and
discoveries in mammalian single-cell genomics.
The Single-Cell Genomics Center
is also expected to act as a hub for collaboration among single-cell genomics
researchers in many pioneering fields, including stem cells and cancer biology.
The Center will be housed at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts
and will feature a complete suite of Fluidigm single-cell tools, protocols and
technologies, most notably the BioMark
TM HD System. The Center grew out of
ongoing collaborations between the Broad Institute and Fluidigm that bridge
multiple genomic platforms.
"With the Single-Cell Genomics Center, we will enable researchers to
access the exciting new world of single-cell genomics, catalyze discoveries and
advance our understanding of this important area of biology," said Wendy
Winckler, Ph.D., Director of the Genetic Analysis Platform at the Broad
Institute.
"The cell is the fundamental unit of life, and through greater
understanding of it, researchers can make breakthroughs in large and important
fields, such as cancer diagnosis and therapy, stem cell biology, vaccine
development, and even the mounting battle against drug-resistant bacteria. We
expect this center to inspire, enable and accelerate efforts in the emerging
field of single-cell research," said Gajus Worthington, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Fluidigm.
Researchers have long known that heterogeneity exists among cells in tissue
samples and other populations, but this cellular variability is masked by
averaging data across pooled cell samples. The ability to tease out single-cell
genomic data has historically been limited by a lack of standardized,
user-friendly methods that would allow the broader biological and clinical
communities to study individual cellular variability at high definition, high
throughput, and low cost. Advances in technology, such as Fluidigm's
microfluidic chips and high-throughput instruments, have made single-cell
studies feasible by converting cellular heterogeneity from a source of
background noise to a source of information enabling cutting-edge discoveries.
Fluidigm's technology provides the capabilities required to analyze single
cells: microfluidics and sensitivity at the nanoscale level; parallel
processing of a large number of cells; and interrogation of a large number of
gene targets. This unique combination of technological capabilities has fueled
an upsurge in single-cell research and propelled Fluidigm technology into a
leadership position in supplying tools to single-cell genomic researchers.
Through this collaborative effort, the Center intends to develop novel
single-cell, microfluidic approaches for gene expression profiling, RNA/DNA
sequencing and epigenetic analysis. The goal of these efforts is to make single-cell
research accessible to the greater scientific community by developing and
disseminating new workflows, reagents, bioinformatics tools, and data sets.
These advances will allow deeper exploration of the underlying causes of many
diseases, including the progression of individual cancers, differential immune
responses, and the maturation of stem cells.
"Our intent is to establish the Center as a focal point to enhance
collaboration and accelerate the science, applications, methods and discoveries
in single-cell genomics research," said Ken Livak, Ph.D., Fluidigm Senior
Scientific Fellow, who will act as the Alliance Manager at the Broad Institute,
overseeing research projects amongst the Center and project partners. "Our
efforts with the Broad Institute in forming a center that specifically focuses
on single-cell research represent a big step forward for this emerging area of
biological research," Livak concluded.
Fluidigm equipment is currently being installed at the Center and first
proposals for projects are being solicited from the Broad community of
researchers. It is expected that the Single-Cell Genomics Center will become
fully operational this quarter.
Fluidigm (NASDAQ:FLDM) develops, manufactures and markets microfluidic systems
for growth markets in the life science and agricultural biotechnology, or
Ag-Bio, industries. Fluidigm's proprietary microfluidic systems consist of
instruments and consumables, including chips, assays and other reagents. These
systems are designed to significantly simplify experimental workflow, increase
throughput and reduce costs, while providing the excellent data quality
demanded by customers. Fluidigm actively markets three microfluidic systems,
including eight different commercial chips, to leading academic institutions,
diagnostic laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology and Ag-Bio
companies.
For more information, please visit
www.fluidigm.com.
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was founded in 2003 to
empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine with new
genome-based knowledge. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular
components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major
human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and
therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods and data openly to
the entire scientific community.
Founded by MIT, Harvard and its affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los
Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes
faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard
biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a
hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide.
For further information about the Broad Institute, go to
www.broadinstitute.org.
* Fluidigm and the Fluidigm logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Fluidigm Corporation.