The new product will make it possible for researchers in laboratories with limited bioinformatics, automation, or sample-banking resources to conduct a high-throughput, RNAi-interference studies. The siARRAY RTF siRNA product format is currently available for 26 different siRNA libraries, including the human genome (~22,000), druggable genes (7,300) and other sets.
The siARRAY RTF siRNA Libraries are designed for the delivery of siRNA to mammalian cells in a high-throughput screening, reverse-transfection format for the study of entire gene families or regulatory pathways. siARRAY RTF Libraries are supplied with the siRNA reagents pre-dispensed into 96-well plates that also include positive and negative controls.
The siARRAY RTF siRNA Libraries are designed specifically to be easy to use, incorporating a 4-step procedure. Combine the DharmaFECT Transfection Reagent (DF) and DharmaFECT Cell Culture Reagent (DCCR) to rehydrate the siRNA, incubate for 20 - 90 minutes and then plate the cells. 48 hours later perform a phenotypic assay to identify targets for further study.
This reduces the overall cost of the preliminary screen and eliminates expensive and time-consuming liquid handling and sample-banking requirements. By eliminating multiple pipetting, dilution and other liquid-dispensing steps, the siARRAY RTF platform also reduces the opportunity for errors and exposure to environmental conditions that may cause degradation of RNA.
The siARRAY RTF siRNA Libraries contain pre-selected groups of rationally designed siRNA reagents targeting genes confirmed to be relevant to a particular pathway or gene family. The gene targets for each array have been selected according to biological and molecular relationships as defined by the Gene Ontology Consortium.
"The launch of the revolutionary siARRAY RTF siRNA Libraries is an example of the company expanding the availability of advanced RNAi research tools to researchers around the globe," said Leland Foster, president and chief executive officer of the Fisher Biosciences group.
"We expect that the availability of Dharmacon's siARRAY RTF siRNA Libraries will greatly expand the number of laboratories able to use siRNA libraries as powerful research tools," he added.
siARRAY RTF siRNA Library reagents are designed using Dharmacon's proprietary SMARTselection and SMARTpool technologies to assure efficient and gene silencing. The pre-dispensed libraries are supplied in triplicate and ready for a transfection into the cell type of interest for rapid screening. siARRAY RTF siRNA libraries are supplied with DharmaFECT transfection-reagent and-optimised cell-culture reagent.