Custom system will ultimately enable DKMS Life Science Lab to type several thousand samples per week

Fluidigm announced an agreement to develop and supply a customized version of its high- throughput library prep system to the DKMS (Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mbH) Life Science Lab. The new system will help the DKMS accelerate its research to fight against blood cancer by ultimately enabling it to characterize the HLA genes from several thousand samples a week for its donor registry. The Fluidigm custom Access Array™ System, currently under development, will seamlessly automate library preparation for next-generation sequencing (NGS) with a new integrated fluidic circuit (IFC) that will greatly increase sample throughput. This new format specifically addresses the sample throughput and quality requirements demanded by DKMS, while meeting the complexity of library prep for HLA typing. The DKMS expects to go live with the new Access Array System in the fall of this year. 

The DKMS is focused on finding stem cell donors for patients with blood cancer and other severe blood diseases. The objective of HLA testing is to determine the degree of tissue compatibility between transplant recipients and donors. The higher the number of HLA matches, the lower the risk of rejection following transplantation. Given the diversity of the HLA system, allele-specific approaches are required for donor-recipient matching. The custom high-throughput Access Array System and NGS will enhance the DKMS’s capability for high-resolution HLA typing at a fraction of the cost of conventional sequence-based typing. 

“The DKMS is very excited about the opportunities arising through the application of NGS for HLA typing,” reported Dr. Alexander Schmidt, Scientific Director. “Taking advantage of Fluidigm’s technologies, we have successfully established a fast and lean NGS workflow. We are very much looking forward to the new Access Array format that will increase the amazing throughput even further!” 

“This project demonstrates Fluidigm’s willingness to develop enabling, customized solutions that address bottlenecks for research performed in high-throughput clinical labs,” said Gajus Worthington, Fluidigm President and Chief Executive Officer. “The work that the DKMS does is critical in the fight against leukemia.   Fluidigm is proud to be part of the fight.”

About Fluidigm

Fluidigm (NASDAQ:FLDM) develops, manufactures, and markets microfluidic systems for growth markets in the life science and agricultural biotechnology, or Ag-Bio, industries. Fluidigm’s proprietary microfluidic systems consist of instruments and consumables, including IFCs, assays, and other reagents. These systems are designed to significantly simplify experimental workflow, increase throughput, and reduce costs, while providing the excellent data quality demanded by customers. Fluidigm actively markets four microfluidic systems, including 13 different IFCs, to leading academic institutions, clinical laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and Ag-Bio companies. Fluidigm products are marketed and sold: “For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.”

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About DKMS

Founded in 1991 with the objective of finding stem cell donors for blood cancer patients, the DKMS (DKMS German Bone Marrow Donor Center Non-Profit Limited Liability Organization) now belongs to a network of organizations under the umbrella of DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden (DKMS Foundation for Donating Life). All DKMS organizations are actively committed to the fight against blood cancer and other diseases of the hematopoietic cell system.  The

DKMS is the largest stem cell donor registry worldwide with affiliates in the United States, Poland, Spain, and Great Britain. In the last 21 years, 35,311 of more than 3.55 million registered DKMS donors have given blood cancer patients in all corners of the globe a second chance to live.

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