Microarray debuts for whole-genome and targeted DNA sequencing

July 26, 2011

The HumanOmni5-Quad DNA Analysis BeadChip (Omni5), a new microarray from Illumina for whole-genome and targeted DNA sequencing, features more than 4.3 million variants per sample selected from the International HapMap Project and the 1000 Genomes Project, and allows inclusion of up to 500,000 custom markers for studying complex diseases.

The HumanOmni5-Quad DNA Analysis BeadChip (Omni5), a new microarray from Illumina (San Diego, CA) for whole-genome and targeted DNA sequencing, features more than 4.3 million variants per sample selected from the International HapMap Project and the 1000 Genomes Project, and allows inclusion of up to 500,000 custom markers for studying complex diseases. The microarray also can target variation down to 1% minor allele frequency.

A high-throughput, four-samples-per-array format provides a capacity of nearly 20 million variants on a single BeadChip and throughput of more than 460 samples per week. The microarray can be scanned using the company's HiScan or iScan System, and is fully compatible with Illumina's automation solutions for processing as many as thousands of samples per week.

The Omni5 is the latest achievement in Illumina's Omni roadmap, which has provided microarrays that feature novel, common and progressively rare variants identified from the 1000 Genomes Project. The content on the Omni5 also offers coverage of high-value regions of the genome associated with disease, including genic regions, the MHC region, and nonsynonymous SNPs, all of which have a higher likelihood of harboring disease-related variants. The array also features almost 5,000 indel and multi-base substitution markers selected by the 1000 Genomes Project, which can help researchers elucidate a better understanding of how structural variants affect traits and diseases.

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Posted by Lee Mather

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