New low-cost barley genotyping assay launched

The collaboration with Eureka Genomics has not only enabled us to develop an efficient genotyping tool for barley, but opens the doors to apply the technology to the other main crop species...notably potato, blackcurrant and raspberry.

The James Hutton Institute and US company Eureka Genomics have launched a new custom assay for the genotyping of barley, enabling identification of over 400 SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphism) in a single test. The assay will offer a low-cost opportunity for researchers to identify and optimise traits such as yield, quality and environmental resilience for commercial crop production. It also opens the door for the development of new assays for other crops such as potato, blackcurrant and raspberry.

Barley is the world's fourth most important cereal crop and has significant worldwide economic value for the brewing and whisky distilling industries and animal feed, as well as US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognised potential for improving human health. By developing the barley panel in partnership with the James Hutton Institute, Eureka Genomics will be able to introduce the assay both in Europe and in the US next month.

Dr Pete Hedley of the James Hutton Institute said: "The collaboration with Eureka Genomics has not only enabled us to develop an efficient genotyping tool for barley, but opens the doors to apply the technology to the other main crop species of interest at the James Hutton Institute, notably potato, blackcurrant and raspberry.

"Translating these assays to our newly acquired MiSeq platform in the Genome Technology group will ensure affordable and flexible in-house genotyping over the next few years." Staff at the James Hutton Institute involved in developing the new assay were Dr Pete Hedley, Dr Joanne Russell, Dr Micha Bayer, Allan Booth and Professor Robbie Waugh.

The marker assay (LDMA) being offered by Eureka Genomics provides an improved and economical alternative to traditional technologies for profiling hundreds of SNPs (or other genetic markers) in thousands of samples using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). The assay can be broadly applied to the detection of SNPs, CNV, presence/absence and methylation and is compatible with DNA or RNA from virtually any organism, even when genome information may be incomplete.

"The LDMA lets researchers design profiling panels that target the markers that matter most for their project, rather than wasting time and resources getting data that is irrelevant to their goals," said Andrea White, Director of Business Development for Eureka Genomics.

“The utility of the assay has been demonstrated and validated at this point and we look forward to many different research collaborations, such as we have developed with the James Hutton Institute, to expand the testing services portfolio offered by Eureka Genomics and address needs in plant, animal and clinical markets worldwide."

Details on the newly developed barley panel will be available during the Plant and Animal Genome XXI Conference in San Diego, California on 13 January 2013.

Read the news release on the Eureka Genomics website.