Applied Biosystems’ ultra-high-throughput genomic analysis platform, the SOLID™ System, generates genome-wide expression profiling data at the single cell level. This can help in finding details about cell fate, accelerating the discovery of biomarkers for disease. Ability to generate such profiles of gene activity from single stem can give an idea on variation between molecules of genetically identical stem cells. Detailed characterizations of this kind give scientists a better understanding of the application of these cells in regenerative therapies for damaged cells and organs. The sensitivity of the SOLiD System, which is higher than the currently used micro-array technology, enables researchers to generate detailed gene expression profiles from the trace amounts of RNA present in single cell and cancer samples.

A multi-institutional team, led by John T. McDevitt, reported at a recent meeting of the American Association for Dental Research that it may be possible to diagnose a heart attack in the early stages by using only a few drops of saliva and a new nano-bio-chip. The nano-bio-chip assay could some day be used to analyze a patient’s saliva on board an ambulance, at the dentist’s office or at a neighborhood drugstore, helping save lives and prevent damage from cardiac disease. The tests performed by the device, which is the size of a credit card, promise to dramatically improve the accuracy and speed of cardiac diagnosis.

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