FREMONT, Calif., April 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:WGBS) announced today that it will host a KOL Webinar on the topic of "Clinical NGS Testing Strategies for Oncology and Rare Disease" on Wednesday, April 15th.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 @ 1:00pm Eastern
Registration: https://genomeweb.webex.com/genomeweb/onstage/g.php?MTID=e9f15bea358dfda397ae64e7264c6bb8f
This live online webinar will highlight recent trends in applying next-generation sequencing in the clinical setting, with a particular focus on oncology and rare disease.
John Chiang, Director of the Casey Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Oregon Health and Science University, will discuss a novel targeted next-generation sequencing test for retinal dystrophy (RD). The test has so far been used to interrogate the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the presentation of RD in more than 700 patients. Dr. Chiang will share details on how the implementation of this test has not only improved his team's understanding of the genes contributing to RD, but has also led to improved patient care and given certain patients the opportunity to be enrolled in clinical trials. Dr. Chiang has been involved with the molecular diagnosis of rare conditions for a decade and has embarked on a mission to democratize genetic testing for rare hereditary disease. The Casey Eye Institute Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory is the reference lab for ProgSTAR, a natural history study for people with Stargardt disease. The lab aims to sequence at least 1,000 patients with Stargardt disease and at least 1,000 patients with retinitis pigmentosa annually.
Richard Moore, Sequencing Group Leader at the British Columbia Cancer Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre (GSC), British Columbia Cancer Agency Adjunct Professor Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, will discuss the use of targeted sequencing at the GSC. In addition to production sequencing for research projects, the GSC recently implemented a College of American Pathologists-accredited diagnostic sequencing pipeline, currently offered for hereditary cancer with other panels under validation. Dr. Moore has managed the high-throughput sequencing team at the GSC since February 2006. The sequencing team runs Illumina HiSeq systems in a production environment, and includes a validation team specializing in the verification and validation of events identified during Illumina sequencing. Dr. Moore has approximately 80 peer reviewed publications with more than 15,000 citations and his research interests include infectious agents associated with cancer and human metagenomics.
About WaferGen
WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. is a life science company that offers innovative genomic solutions for clinical testing and research. The SmartChip MyDesignTM Real-Time PCR System is a high-throughput genetic analysis platform for profiling and validating molecular biomarkers via microRNA and mRNA gene expression profiling, as well as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. The SmartChip TETM System is a novel product offering for target enrichment geared towards clinical Next-Gen sequencing (NGS). The Seq-ReadyTM TE System powered by SmartChipTM massively-parallel singleplex PCR technology, is an innovative one-step target enrichment and library preparation solution. The Company now also offers the Apollo 324TM product line used in library preparation for NGS. These three complementary technologies offer a powerful set of tools enabling more accurate, faster and cheaper genetic analysis based on Next-Gen Sequencing and Real-Time PCR.
For additional information, please see http://www.wafergen.com