The innovative system is designed for advanced performance standards in sensitivity, multiplexing, and absolute quantitation in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

The system is capable of generating more than a billion reactions in a single day, and transforms the performance of molecular assays by enabling digital answers across a number of important applications.

The technology is based on patented and proven RainStorm picodroplet technology; the RainDrop System generates up to 10 million picoliter-sized droplets per lane. Since each droplet encapsulates a single molecule, scientists can quickly determine the absolute number of droplets containing specific target DNA and compare that to the number of droplets with background wild-type DNA.

The RainDrop System (RainDance Technologies; Lexington MA, USA) also shifts the current digital PCR (dPCR) paradigm from a single-color-per-marker approach to a two color and varying probe intensity method that is capable of multiplexing up to 10 markers. It will be particularly useful for the detection low-frequency tumor allele, gene expression, copy number variation, and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) measurement.

French scientists from the Université de Strasbourg (France) used the RainDance dPCR technology to detect a single mutated copy of the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) in a background of 200,000 wild-type copies. By processing reactions in millions of picoliter droplets, the platform improved sensitivity by two orders of magnitude compared to existing technologies. Beginning in the summer of 2012, RainDance will be offering a select number of scientists the opportunity to participate in the RainDrop First Access Program. The wet-lab sessions will provide hands-on instrumentation and software training with assays and samples. Participants will also be able to choose from a fixed menu of assays and run up to 32 of their own samples.

Pierre Laurent-Puig, MD, PhD, of the Université Paris Descartes (France) said, "With RainDance digital PCR, we were able to achieve absolute quantification of mutated and tumor-circulating DNA and improve the detection of a circulating tumor by comparing its proportion to nontumor DNA. Absolute quantification is critical, especially in studies that lays the groundwork for future clinical applications, because it allows you to generate meaningful thresholds that will be required for prognostic and diagnostic tools.”

Related Links:
RainDance Technologies
Université de Strasbourg
Université Paris Descartes