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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
If you don’t find an answer to your
question from here, feel free to contact Asper’s representative info@asperophthalmics.com.
General
questions - technology, company
Does
Asper provide genotyping instrumentation or service?
Why should I
prefer Asper's genotyping?
What technology is used by
Asper in its genotyping service?
What are the advantages of
Asper's technology?
What are the sensitivity and
the specificity of the APEX technology?
Does
APEX technology enable to identify heterozygous genotypes?
Routine DNA
analysis, genotyping software, detector, consumables
How much
does the routine analysis of DNA samples with the developed chip cost?
Can
I submit blood samples, fixed tissue samples to Asper for analysis?
How
should I send the DNA samples?
Where
should the samples be mailed to?
What way of shipping is
preferred?
How does Asper
guarantee the quality of the genotyping service?
What is the turnaround time?
In which format do I receive
the completed genotyping results from Asper?
What
are the payment mode options?
General
questions - technology, company
Does Asper provide
genotyping instrumentation or service?
Asper offers solutions for both kind of genotyping needs. Customers can
choose between genotyping service and technology transfer. Technology
transfer includes custom chip design, four-colour microarray detector,
genotyping software, consumables and training.
Why should I prefer Asper's genotyping?
- We
provide all the necessary items for genotyping: genotyping service,
strong bioinformatics support, custom chip design software, instruments,
image analysis software, consumables, training.
- Asper
has skilled professionals who have years of experience in genotyping
- Reliable
and accurate technology – demonstrated in recent
publications in Nature, PNAS and Clinical Chemistry.
- ISO
9001:2000 quality standard.
What
technology is used by Asper in its genotyping service?
Asper's genotyping platform is based on APEX
- Arrayed Primer Extension. This method combines the accuracy of primer
extension with the high-throughput capacity of microarray.
What
are the advantages of Asper's technology?
Simplicity
o Four color detection system; all four possible sequence variants are
detected in the same reaction;
o Low reagent complexity - oligonucleotides, dye terminators, DNA polymerase
and DNA sample.
o Robust and durable detection system
High quality and accuracy
o Excellent power of allelic discrimination
o Two- step biological quality control - hybridization and primer extension
o Parallel SNP detection on both DNA strands – additional internal control
at negligible extra cost
o High specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility
Fast and high throughput
o time required for the complete APEX reaction is less than an hour,
several APEX reactions can be carried out in parallel with minimal effort.
o From 1 to thousands of SNPs/mutations per assay
o As the chip production is based on printing, it is highly parallel and
less time consuming than in situ synthesis.
Cost-effective
o Low initial investment
o Low running costs
o No need for expensive optically flat polished slides
o One oligo per SNP to be arrayed to call all 4 nucleotide variants
Flexibility
o Chips can be designed to meet client’s specific needs (one gene –
many genes; human DNA – other species’ DNA; disease specific – region
specific; for SNP analyzes – for mutation detection –for DNA
resequencing; small assays – large assays, etc.)
o Customer can add, remove and substitute SNPs or mutation sites from the
array easily
o Technology is suitable for both research and diagnostics.
What
are the sensitivity and the specificity of the APEX technology?
Specificity of APEX-based b-thalassemia test=TP/(TP+FN)= 99.4%*
Sensitivity of APEX-based b-thalassemia test=TN/(TN+FP)= 99.8%*
TP - true positive TN - true negative FP
- false positive FN - false negative
* Reliable Detection of b-Thalasseemia and G6PDMutations by a DNA
Microarray.
Gemignani F. et al., Clinical Chemistry 48, No.11, 2002 2051-2054
Does
APEX technology enable to identify heterozygous genotypes?
Yes. For example from the images below you can see how the signals of
heterozygous genotypes look like.
Routine DNA
analysis, genotyping software, detector, consumables
How much does the routine analysis of
DNA samples with the developed chip cost?
Please contact us at info@asperophthalmics.com
in order to get a quotation. If possible, please send the estimation about
the number of samples to be screened along the inquiry.
Can I submit blood samples, fixed tissue
samples to Asper for analysis?
We do not accept blood or any other tissue samples. The preferred format
of material for analysis is genomic DNA, but we can also accept PCR
products. PCR must be performed according to our protocol in order to ensure
incorporation of a small fraction of UTP into your PCR products for
fragmentation.
How should I send the DNA samples?
We prefer to get DNA in an aqueous solution. There has to be added to
the samples our submission form that is available on the website, including
the concentrations. Before sending the DNA, please, find out the min.
required DNA quantity.
Where
should the samples be mailed to?
Asper Biotech
Oru 3
Tartu 51014
Estonia
What
way of shipping is preferred?
For
speedy and secure delivery, international courier services, for example DHL,
UPS and FedEx, are recommended; alternatively, you can send samples by air
mail as a small parcel.
How does Asper guarantee the quality of
the genotyping service?
-
Asper Biotech services are certified to be in accordance with
ISO 9001 quality standards by Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI)
auditors.
-
All chemicals and other materials to be used in genotyping
service will be validated
-
Liquid handling systems integrated with laboratory management
system will be used in handling of DNA samples
-
Genotyping procedure includes quality control criteria at
every step of the analysis.
-
The genotyping process can be fully tracked and controlled
from our central electronic database.
-
The client information and the genotyping information related
to the client will be kept confidential.
What
is the turnaround time?
Our
standard service time is from 3-6 weeks from the arrival of the samples to
us. We will confirm the arrival by an e-mail.
With
the Express service the results will be delivered within 3 to 5 business
days from the arrival.
In
case the results are requested
only by mail there should be considered the post service time that may vary
due to different destinations.
In which format do I receive the
completed genotyping results from Asper?
We send the analyzed genotyping
data by default in digital format (for example in Adobe Acrobat or MS
Excel). The other formats are also available. However, when reports are
needed by fax or on paper by mail, the handling fee will be added to the
testing price. Please ask details from your Asper’s contact person or info@asperophthalmics.com.
What
are the payment mode options?
We
prefer to receive the payment by bank transfer. IBAN and other information
required for the money transfer are indicated on our invoice.
Payment
by credit card is also possible, however requires additional exchange of
information. A special form will be e-mailed to client that should be filled
in and faxed or e-mailed back to Asper (info@asperbio.com).
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