One Cell Systems Awarded NIH Phase II SBIR Grant for Sorting and Storing Chromosomes

 Cambridge, MA…February 6, 1998….The National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health recently awarded One Cell Systems, Inc. a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant (SBIR) to develop a high throughput method for isolating pure populations of intact chromosomes using micro-encapsulation, in situ hybridization, and fluorescence activated cell sorting.

Use of flow cytometry, which is rapid, high throughput, and permits evaluation of small sub-populations is expected to dramatically expand the analytical options available for both genomic and molecular cytogenetic research.

"Because of limited resolution using relatively non-specific DNA dyes, chromosomes which have the same size or the same base pair composition cannot now be isolated using flow cytometry", said Dr. Jan Trnovsky, Principal Investigator for this research. "In addition, since individual chromosomes do not withstand hybridization conditions in solution, use of flow cytometry for chromosomal analysis is not practical" Dr. Trnovsky continued.

Currently, since in situ hybridization must be performed using a solid support, such as a glass microscope slide, analysis is limited to chromosomal aberrations present in high frequency. The ability to rapidly screen chromosomal samples for DNA aberrations present in low frequency is critical to improving an understanding of these phenomena.

Development of the gel microdrop chromosome sorting system which combines the specificity of in situ hybridization with the automated analysis and recovery of flow sorting would dramatically improve human, animal, and plant genomic mapping and sequencing applications.

An additional benefit of the proposed method is that encapsulation stabilizes chromosomes making long term storage at 4° C possible. This integrated system for identifying, recovering, and ultimately storing chromosomes and chromosome fragments will improve molecular techniques for gene transfer for both human and plant product development.

Discovery of new genes and their functions are the focus of intensive efforts by pharmaceutical companies and genome researchers. The ability to rapidly screen pure populations of chromosomes would represent an important improvement over existing methods with implications for eventual automation of molecular cytogenetic testing.

The proposed automated system is expected to allow rapid diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities in a wide variety of diseases. In addition, prognostic screening of high risk individuals to monitor minimal residual disease would benefit from sensitive, high throughput cytogenetic methods.

One Cell Systems, Inc. is developing a family of assays based on micro-encapsulation and flow cytometry for rapid, quantitative analysis and recovery of cells, bacteria, nuclei and chromosomes.

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