Applied Biosystems Releases 20 Million Genotypes Within Latest Version Of Free SNP Selection Tool
Applied Biosystems, an Applera Corporation business, today announced the release of the new version of its freely available SNPbrowser™ Software tool that includes data on 20 million genotypes obtained from 160,000 SNPs typed on 180 individuals across four populations. The software, available at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser , is designed to simplify the selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for disease association studies and facilitate the ordering of Applied Biosystems’ expanding collection of 1.8 million TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays.
With the introduction of the new version of SNPbrowser™ Software, customers can reduce the number of SNPs needed to conduct a successful human association study by choosing from three different methods to select “tagging” SNPs. Tagging SNPs represent optimal subsets of informative SNPs that preserve the information of common haplotypes of a study population (physical regions of the genome in which certain genetic variations tend to be inherited together within a population). Additionally, the software includes a metric linkage disequilibrium map generated from the analysis of the 20 million genotypes that provides information on how to best position SNPs across the genes or regions of interest in a study. Applied Biosystems has also developed automated wizards for the SNPbrowser™ Software to facilitate tagging SNP selection in study design.
The easy-to-use wizards allow researchers to prioritize the selection of validated, off-the-shelf TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays, and use additional criteria, such as allele frequency data from the International HapMap Project, to supplement any potential gaps with the recently expanded collection of 30,000 coding and 1.8 million pre-designed TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays. SNPs selected through SNPbrowser™ Software can also be submitted for design of custom SNPlex™ Genotyping System assays.
“Scientists face a number of challenges when attempting to select SNPs for genetic association studies, including balancing the number of SNPs needed to cost-effectively conduct genotyping studies with high statistical power,” said Dennis A. Gilbert, Ph.D., Vice President, Advanced Research and Technology for Applied Biosystems. “Using the information included in SNPbrowser™ Software to reduce the amount of genotyping necessary, together with our collection of more than 1.8 million SNP genotyping assays should allow researchers to more efficiently and cost-effectively conduct disease association studies.”
“The data from these 20 million genotypes, together with the information becoming available from the HapMap Project, provide researchers with a more complete picture of the genetic diversity across multiple populations,” said Francisco De La Vega, Director of Computational Genetics at Applied Biosystems. “Further, researchers can utilize this genotype data either within the context of our SNPbrowser™ Software tool, or they can export it as needed for use in their own SNP selection methods.”
Researchers can download the SNPbrowser™ Software through the Applied Biosystems Web site at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser to access a genome-wide SNP map, practical study design parameters, and links to the collection of nearly two million TaqMan® SNP Genotyping Assays.
About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems
Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. The Celera Genomics Group is engaged principally in the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Celera Genomics is leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics. It is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com , or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com .
