Sequenom launches Cancer EpiPanel

USA-based diagnostics firm Sequenom has launched its Cancer EpiPanel for high-throughput methylation profiling of DNA samples over hundreds of validated cancer-associated genes. Using its proprietary EpiTYPER technology, the pre-designed Cancer EpiPanel, for research use only, offers a first-of-its-kind simplified method of rapid and quantitative methylation profiling of commonly-analyzed genes, the firm noted.

Changes in DNA methylation markers have been correlated to gene expression and there is an accumulating body of scientific evidence which indicates that changes in DNA methylation patterns play an important role in early cancer detection and prognosis. The precise characterization of methylation changes in cancer-associated genes will be instrumental for the discovery of biomarkers for early detection of cancer, prognosis and therapy monitoring. "Our new Cancer EpiPanel offers researchers the speed and convenience of using off-the-shelf validated assays, combined with fast, cost-effective quantitative analysis of a large set of cancer-related genes," said company chief executive Harry Stylli.