Profile: Fluidigm Corp (FLDM.OQ)
17.79USD
1 Aug 2013
$0.03 (+0.17%)
$17.76
$17.96
$18.13
$17.69
36,557
26,626
$19.40
$12.55
Fluidigm Corporation (Fluidigm), incorporated on May 19, 1999, develops, manufactures and markets microfluidic systems such as single-cell genomics, applied genotyping and sample preparation for targeted resequencing, in the life science and agricultural biotechnology, or Ag-Bio, industries. The Company’s microfluidic systems consist of instruments and consumables, including chips and reagents. It markets three microfluidic systems, including eight different commercial chips to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, diagnostic laboratories companies. The Company sells three microfluidic systems, BioMark, EP1 and Access Array. All of its systems include chip controllers that control the activation of valves, loading of reagents, and recovery or wash steps within the chips. Each chip controller comes with software to control chip and instrument operations for particular applications.
The BioMark System for Genetic Analysis
The BioMark system performs gene expression analysis, single-cell analysis, SNP genotyping and digital PCR using Fluidigm DELTAgene and SNPtype assays and other chemistries, such as TaqMan or EvaGreen. The Company’s Fluidigm 96.96 Dynamic Array chip is based on matrix architecture and is capable of individually assaying 96 samples against 96 reagents, generating 9,216 reactions on a single chip. Its Fluidigm 48.48 Dynamic Array chip is based on the same architecture and is capable of individually assaying 48 samples against 48 reagents, generating 2,304 reactions. One version of each chip is optimized to perform gene expression analysis and another is optimized for genotyping. All assays are performed in volumes of 10 nano liters or less. In 2011, the Company introduced its Fludigm 192.24 Dynamic Array chip, which is capable of assaying 192 samples against 24 reagents and is particularly useful for genotyping applications that require many samples to be examined simultaneously.
The Fluidigm 48.770 Digital Array chip is based on partitioning architecture that divides each of up to 48 separate samples into 770 microscopic samples and then performs a PCR or other assay for each divided sample in one nano liter or smaller volume. Its 12.765 Digital Array chip is based on the same architecture and divides up to 12 samples into 765 parts. These chips can be used for digital PCR applications, such as rare mutation detection or copy number variation analysis. The chip controllers for the BioMark system fully automate the setup of Dynamic Array and Digital Array chips for real-time quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based experiments and include software for implementing and tracking experiments. Its BioMark reader controls the PCR process and detects the fluorescent signals generated using a white light source, emission and excitation filters, precision lenses, a thermal cycler and a digital camera. It also offers various software packages that provide data analysis following data collection. In 2011, it launched its DELTAgene and SNPtype assay products for gene expression and genotyping, respectively. These products provide optimized assays, content and services to users of its BioMark systems. They are designed to maintain the performance standards of its BioMark systems at a substantially lower cost as compared to TaqMan-based chemistries.
The EP1 System
The EP1 system performs SNP genotyping and end-point digital PCR using Fluidigm DELTAgene and SNPtype assays and other chemistries, such as TaqMan or EvaGreen. The Company’s EP1 system uses the same Dynamic Array and Digital Array chips that are used by its BioMark HD system. The chip controllers for the EP1 system automate the setup of chips for end-point SNP genotyping and digital PCR experiments, and include software for implementing and tracking experiments. Its EP1 reader detects fluorescent signals generated in its chips using a light source, emission and excitation filters, precision lenses and a digital camera. Its FC1 cycler performs fast thermal cycling for chips and enables up to 12 Dynamic Array chips to be run per day. The Company also offers various software packages that provide data analysis following data collection.
The Access Array System
The Access Array system enables automated sample preparation, barcoding and tagging for marketed next generation deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencers. The Access Array system can be used in conjunction with the Company’s BioMark HD system to provide real-time monitoring of amplification steps. Its Fluidigm 48.48 Access Array chip is based on architecture similar to that of the Dynamic Array chip, but is designed to enable recovery of reaction products from the chip. This chip combines up to 48 samples with 48 primer sets prior to PCR amplification. After amplification, all 48 PCR products for each sample are recovered in a pool. The Access Array system consists of two chip controllers and a single stand-alone thermal cycler. This system can load Access Array chips, amplify and tag the regions of interest, and recover the sample for loading into a next generation DNA sequencer. It provides optimized barcoding primers, or Access Array Barcode Libraries, for use with Roche, Life Technologies and Illumina sequencing platforms. When used with the 48.48 Access Array chip, the barcode library enables the user to pool products of different samples, perform amplification of all samples in parallel, and then sequence the pooled samples as a single sample. It also offer the Access Array Content Service to provide validated custom primer sets for users.
Microfluidic Chips
The first level of its chip technology is a library of components that perform basic microfluidic functions. These are readily integrated to create circuits capable of performing a range of biochemical reactions. Even when it is necessary to integrate multiple elements to perform a particularly complex reaction, the area taken up on a circuit for a single reaction is small compared to its typical overall chip core size of three centimeters by three centimeters.
The second level of its chip technology comprises the architectures it has designed to exploit its ability to conduct thousands of reactions on a single chip. The Dynamic Array, a matrix architecture that allows multiple different samples and multiple different reagents to be loaded onto a single chip and then combined so that there is an isolated reaction between each sample and each reagent.
The third level of its chip technology involves the interaction of its chips with the actual laboratory environment. The core elastomeric block at the center of its chip is surrounded by specially designed frames that are able to deliver samples and reagents to the blocks. These frames are the same size as standard 384 well microplates and have sample and reagent input ports laid out in a standard 384 well microplate format. As a result, the Company’s chips can be loaded with standard laboratory pipetting robots and can be used with standard plate handling equipment. These frames also transmit the pressure and control signals from its instruments to the chip.
The Company’s 48.770 Digital Array chips have over 4,000 valves. In its research and development laboratory, it has built and tested fully functional Digital Array chips capable of performing 200,000 assays, over five-fold more than its 48.770 Digital Array chip. It has also developed to capture many single cells from a flow stream, as well as to conduct molecular biology protocols on each individual cell in parallel.
The Company provides protocols to guide its customers in the use its products with commonly available molecular biology reagents for the analysis of their specific sample types. The set of protocols it offers are regularly expanded. For gene expression, the Company provides a protocol for TaqMan real-time reagents for general gene expression analysis. It also offers a protocol specifically for single-cell analysis. PCR assay reagents need to be specific to the gene targets of interest. It has commercialized this service for its BioMark HD, EP1 and Access Array customers through the launch of its DELTAgene and SNPtype assays and its Access Array Target-Specific primers. In August 2011, the Company entered into an agreement to collaborate with BD Biosciences, a segment of Becton, Dickinson and Company, or BD, with respect to single-cell genomics.
The Company competes with Affymetrix, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Illumina, Inc., Life Technologies Corporation, LGC Limited, Luminex Corporation, NanoString Technologies, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., RainDance Technologies, Inc., Roche Applied Science, Sequenom, Inc. and WaferGen Bio-Systems, Inc.
Company Address
Fluidigm Corp
Suite 100, 7000 Shoreline Court
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 94080
P: +1650.2666000
F: +1650.8717152
Company Web Links
| Name | Compensation |
|---|---|
Samuel Colella |
-- |
Gajus Worthington |
1,108,470 |
Vikram Jog |
783,228 |
Fredric Walder |
683,896 |
William Smith |
790,607 |

