Eureka Genomics and James Hutton Institute collaborate on a novel barley genotyping assay

Eureka Genomics is developing a custom assay for the genotyping of barley, enabling identification of over 400 SNPs in a single test. At $15.00 per sample, the assay will offer a low-cost opportunity for researchers to identify and optimize traits such as yield, quality and environmental resilience for commercial crop production.

Barley is the world’s 4th most important cereal and has significant worldwide economic value for brewing and whisky distilling industries, animal feed and FDA recognized potential for improving human health. By developing the barley panel in conjunction with the James Hutton Institute (based in Scotland, UK), Eureka Genomics will be positioned to introduce the assay both in Europe and in the US next month. Details on the newly developed barley panel will be available during the Plant and Animal Genome XXI Conference in San Diego, California on January 13, 2013.

"The collaboration has resulted in a very cost-effective, medium-throughput approach to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping, a fundamental technology in both genetic studies and contemporary crop improvement programs worldwide. As the Eureka technology offers the flexibility to increase both the number of SNPs and samples per assay at low additional cost, we are already focused on improving SNP representation and multiplex capability, further reducing the cost per datapoint, a key requirement for widespread adoption in commercial plant breeding,” said Robbie Waugh, Head of Genetics at the James Hutton Institute.

The marker assay (LDMA) being offered by Eureka Genomics provides an improved and economical alternative to traditional technologies for profiling hundreds of SNPs (or other genetic markers) in thousands of samples using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The assay can be broadly applied to the detection of SNPs, CNV, presence/absence and methylation and is compatible with DNA or RNA from virtually any organism, even when genome information may be incomplete. "The LDMA lets researchers design profiling panels that target the markers that matter most for their project, rather than wasting time and resources getting data that is irrelevant to their goals," said Andrea White, Director of Business Development for Eureka Genomics. “The utility of the assay has been demonstrated and validated at this point and we look forward to many different research collaborations, such as we have developed with the James Hutton Institute, to expand the testing services portfolio offered by Eureka Genomics and address needs in plant, animal and clinical markets world-wide."