SwitchGear Genomics introduces innovative LightSwitch Luciferase Assay System™ for screening gene regulation in living cells

January 12th, 2011 Comprehensive solution for reporter assays includes a genome-wide collection of cloned human promoters and 3’UTRs in a novel luciferase vector that that utilizes an optimized luciferase reagent MENLO PARK, Calif. – January 12, 2011 – SwitchGear Genomics Inc., a leading provider of products for studying the regulatory elements in the human genome, today announced the launch of the innovative LightSwitch Luciferase Assay System™, a comprehensive reporter assay solution for measuring transcriptional activation and translational efficiency in living cells. The new SwitchGear LightSwitch system includes a genome-wide collection of assay-ready GoClone™ promoter and 3’UTR luciferase reporters paired with optimized LightSwitch luciferase assay reagents. The GoClone reporter vectors utilize a novel luciferase gene and a unique luciferase reagent specifically developed by SwitchGear to provide industry-leading sensitivity. SwitchGear also offers the highly-efficient FuGENE-HD transfection reagent with its system. This complete reporter assay solution enables researchers to rapidly measure the promoter and 3’UTR activity for any gene in the genome. “SwitchGear has created an optimized luminescent reporter RenSP by increasing the gene’s overall light output and decreasing the half-life of the reporter protein,” said Nathan Trinklein, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of SwitchGear Genomics, “We functionally screened thousands of synthetic gene sequence variants with predicted improvements and removed sequence elements that might interfere with expression measurements. The result is a luciferase that is nearly 100% brighter than other luminescent reporter genes and that has been optimized for use with our companion reagents.” Shelley Force Aldred, Ph.D., co-founder and president of SwitchGear Genomics added, "By providing a fully optimized luciferase system, researches can focus their efforts on doing experiments and analyzing data rather than having to spend time cloning and optimizing reagents and conditions." About SwitchGear Genomics, Inc.: SwitchGear Genomics Inc. is a leading provider of innovative products for studying gene regulation in the human genome. The company has developed a comprehensive approach to generate new insights into gene regulatory networks, allowing researchers to efficiently screen entire pathways in living cells. SwitchGear was founded in March 2005 by Dr. Richard Myers, Dr. Nathan Trinklein and Dr. Shelley Force Aldred from Stanford University. For more information about SwitchGear, please visit the company’s website at www.switchgeargenomics.com