Velcura Therapeutics has announced the development of a custom Affymetrix GeneChip(R) array that aids the development of bone disease therapies by enabling researchers to follow global changes in gene expression during human bone formation.
Velcura worked with Affymetrix, the world leader in DNA microarray technologies, to design and produce the custom array using Affymetrix' CustomExpress(TM) Array Program. This custom GeneChip array, which Velcura hopes will help speed research to help fight osteoporosis and other bone diseases, is available only to Velcura Therapeutics for use within the company for its own studies or that of its strategic partners.
DNA microarrays allow the human genome to be rapidly and consistently queried for changes in gene expression or variations in gene sequence. Approximately 1,500 genes were included on the chip. The custom GeneChip array included genes that Velcura Therapeutics' scientists discovered as well as another 250 genes that were reported in the scientific literature as bone- related.
Affymetrix' CustomExpress Array Program enables researchers to quickly design reproducible, affordable GeneChip expression arrays specific to their needs. Customers can mix and match content from Affymetrix' commercially available GeneChip expression arrays or let Affymetrix help them with probe selection to create arrays featuring their unique target sequences. CustomExpress Arrays are available in a variety of formats to accommodate content requirements, ranging from 520 to over 61,000 sequences per array.