Applied Biosystems announces microRNA assays

Sep. 8, 2005 — Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corp. business, announced the commercial release of its TaqMan microRNA assays for the detection and quantitation of mature human microRNA expression levels.

MicroRNAs are a recently discovered class of small RNA molecules known to play a regulatory role in cell differentiation, developmental biology, and diseases such as cancer.

Catherine Burzik, president of Applied Biosystems, said in a prepared statement that the assays can eliminate major challenges in detecting and quantifying miRNAs and are expected to stimulate research in areas such as cancer, stem cell research, and developmental biology.

Several early access partners presented research results using a preliminary version of the assays. In May 2005, Dartmouth University presented findings at the European Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting demonstrating the ability of the assays to reveal miRNA expression changes in an aggressive form of brain cancer.

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