Sony DADC BioSciences and RainDance Develop Smart Consumables

Sony DADC and RainDance Technologies announced that the companies have further developed proprietary methods for manufacturing microdroplet-based smart consumables for high-throughput targeted DNA sequencing applications.

For more information visit: www.sonydadc.com


Unedited press release follows:

RainDance Technologies and Sony DADC Develop Manufacturing Capacity for Microdroplet-based Smart Consumables

New HeatWave™ TS chips provide precision and speed in automated targeted sequencing and validation workflows using RainDance’s new ThunderStorm™ System

LEXINGTON, Mass. and SALZBURG, Austria — RainDance Technologies, Inc., the Digital Biology™ Company, and Sony DADC Austria AG, today announced that the companies have further developed proprietary methods for the manufacture of microdroplet-based smart consumables for high-throughput targeted DNA sequencing applications. This collaboration enables RainDance to further leverage Sony DADC’s advanced microstructure engineering and high-volume manufacturing expertise to deliver more cost-effective, higher-volume solutions to its customers.

The latest smart consumable to be developed from this collaboration is the HeatWave™ TS chip, which enables researchers to analyze two samples at the same time using RainDance’s new ThunderStorm™ System. The ThunderStorm System is a fully-automated targeted sequencing solution that enables the comprehensive interrogation and accurate classification of all variations contained in any region of the genome. With “walk-away” capabilities for automatically processing up to 96 samples per run, the ThunderStorm System offers higher daily sample throughput with lower costs and hands-on time when compared to current enrichment methods.

“Thanks to the latest advances on the new HeatWave TS chip, our customers can now process samples faster, easier and more cost-effectively than ever before,” said Roch Kelly, Senior Vice President, Operations at RainDance Technologies. “Sony DADC is a world-class supplier that brings decades of experience from the development of its Optical Disc technology, as well as extensive experience in regulated markets, which provides us with a valuable source for future smart consumable products.”

According to Dr. Christoph Mauracher, Senior Vice President at Sony DADC BioSciences, the RainDance collaboration exemplifies the way Sony DADC is becoming a key partner for leading life science companies worldwide: “We are finding that our ability to offer advanced microstructuring on polymer, combined with our flexible manufacturing and logistics, is precisely the combination of services required by both emerging and established companies in this exciting market.”

Capable of performing sophisticated, high-throughput and high-precision microdroplet manipulations on-chip without moving parts or valves, the HeatWave TS chip eliminates sample carry over and cross contamination in life science research applications, such as targeted next-generation sequencing and research validation projects. The single-use chip and ThunderStorm System enable researchers to generate as many as 2,000,000 microdroplet-based PCR reactions per sample. The new HeatWave TS chip supports all of RainDance’s commercial applications available for the ThunderStorm System, including targeted and ultra-deep cancer mutation detection, as well as the company’s line of genetic research screening panels: ADMESeq™, ASDSeq™, ONCOSeq™, XSeq™, and HLASeq™.

For more information about RainDance and its products, please visit www.RainDanceTech.com.

About RainDance Technologies
RainDance Technologies is pioneering the use of high-throughput microdroplet-based analysis in human health and life science research. The company’s core RainStorm™ technology generates millions of discrete droplets that can encapsulate a single molecule, cell or reaction and be digitally analyzed and sorted one at a time. The power, precision and simplicity of microdroplets enable researchers to answer complex questions with unprecedented sensitivity and quantitation. The complete RainDance solution includes automated instrumentation, customizable bioinformatics and high-value consumables and reagents for applications including targeted next-generation DNA sequencing, methylation, digital PCR and single cell analysis. Based in Lexington, Massachusetts, the company supports scientists around the world through its international sales and support operations and a global network of distributors and service providers. For more information, please visit www.RainDanceTech.com.

About Sony DADC
Sony DADC is a leading disc and digital service provider for the entertainment, education and information industries, offering world-class digital and physical supply chain solutions and software services. Building on the company’s experience in high-precision manufacturing, its mass production capability and supply chain expertise, Sony DADC’s BioSciences division partners with life sciences and diagnostics companies, enabling the industrial manufacturing of smart consumables.

Sony DADC’s global set-up comprises production sites, distribution hubs, digital and service facilities in 19 countries worldwide, including Japan, the US and Europe. For more information please visit www.sonydadc.com.

For research use only. Not for use in diagnostics procedures.