Roche introduces thermal shift assay application for LightCycler 1536 instrument

New capability provides high-throughput protein melting solution for US biotech, pharmaceutical markets

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Mar 31, 2015, 07:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today the introduction of a new protein melting application for its high-throughput, real-time PCR LightCycler® 1536 instrument. The fully automated platform now allows life science researchers to perform thermal shift assays (TSAs) in 1536-well applications quickly and consistently. This new application has relevance for biotech and pharmaceutical firms, Contract Research Organizations and large academic research groups.

Previewed at the recent Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 2015 conference in Washington, DC, the new capability makes the LightCycler 1536 instrument the first 1536-well PCR instrument capable of performing thermal shift assays.

"Now researchers who currently run protein thermal shift assays on Roche's LightCycler 480 instrument, using 96- or 384-well throughput, can also run these reactions on the LightCycler 1536 instrument," said Rama Badugu, PhD, application support consultant, Roche Life Science. "That enables them to increase throughput while reducing the amount of protein used in the reaction, which is a key benefit of the LightCycler platform."

An optimal reaction for protein melting requires a reliable heat source and detection without time delays before reading the fluorescence of the plate. The proprietary Therma-Base technology that is common to LightCycler instruments allows for uniform temperature distribution across the block, without any intermediate hold times. LightCycler instruments can heat as quickly as 4.8 degrees Celsius per second, which improves speed and accuracy in protein melt results.

About the LightCycler 1536 instrument
The LightCycler 1536 instrument is a rapid, high-throughput, plate-based real-time PCR amplification and detection system. Its architecture is built upon the established LightCycler 480 platform, which combines a high-performance optical unit and block cycler technology. It is the only plate-based real-time PCR instrument that generates 1,536 data points in a single PCR run in less than 50 minutes. The LightCycler 1536 is also the first 1536-well plate-based real-time PCR platform that is capable of producing data for high-throughput gene expression profiling, thermal shift assays and high-throughput genotyping. For more information, visit go.roche.com/lc1536.

About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche's personalized healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Founded in 1896, Roche has been making important contributions to global health for more than a century. Twenty-four medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and chemotherapy.

In 2014, the Roche Group employed 88,500 people worldwide, invested 8.9 billion Swiss francs in R&D and posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit www.roche.com or www.usdiagnostics.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.
For life science research only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

For further information, please contact:
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
Mike Weist
Communications Business Partner
(317) 521-3112
[email protected]

SOURCE Roche Diagnostics