The founders and staff of Ellipsis have extensive expertise in genetics, gene discovery and genetic association studies. For some recent examples of studies in which we have participated, please click here. We leverage this expertise to work closely with clients at all stages of project design in order to maximize the benefit to the client. We are also able to provide flexible service to accommodate projects of all sizes, from small (dozens of samples, few SNPs) to very large (thousands of samples, thousands of SNPs).

Ellipsis currently uses the Beckman Coulter GenomeLab SNPstream and the Illumina Beadstation as its primary genotyping platforms. Through collaborative relationships and partnerships, Ellipsis also has access to other platforms that may be more appropriate for specific projects.

Ellipsis can accommodate a variety of submission formats for SNP information. For proprietary or pre-defined SNPs, simply send us a tab delimited text file with the sequence information for each SNP (a template can be provided if necessary). For publicly available SNPs, a database ID is sufficient. We can also work with you to develop SNP panels from public and private databases for your genomic region of interest. Detailed guidelines are provided with each quote.

Samples should be sent to Ellipsis via overnight carrier on dry ice. We request samples in 96-well microplates. Please leave an empty well at each of the 4 corners of the plate. This will enable us to include both positive and negative controls for your sample set. Samples in tubes or other formats can also be accommodated but may require an additional processing charge. Included with the samples should be a spreadsheet or text document listing a unique sample ID for each well. These sample IDs can be in any format. Please request an appropriate template for sample submission. Specific concentrations and quantities will be based upon the size of the study as well as the genotyping system used. Detailed guidelines are provided with each quote.

Please note that we are located in Canada. We have not experienced any problems in having DNA samples shipped to Canada from anywhere else in the world. However, if you are not located in Canada, please contact us for additional shipping instructions.

The scientists at Ellipsis are available to assist in any area of SNP selection – from advice on how to generate an informative SNP panel, to what types of SNPs to use for a particular study, or even assistance in identifying SNPs from genomic regions via public and proprietary SNP databases. We will work with you to ensure that your SNP panels and resulting data are highly informative and useful.

Upon receipt of your signed quote, we will immediately begin assay design and reagent order. Typically, we will be able to initiate genotyping work within 5 business days of your approval, with results delivered back to you typically in 4-6 weeks for fixed panels and 6-8 weeks for custom panels. Faster deliveries can sometimes be accommodated, especially if these are repeat orders of previously developed panels. Please contact us at genotyping@ellipsisbio.com to ask about your specific timelines.

Yes. We can develop custom SNP panels of any size from a few to over 1,500 SNPs per panel. You can use these alone, or incorporate public SNPs or even our pre-validated SNPs assays into your custom panels.

If you are using our Illumina platform, we will work with you to determine which SNPs will perform well using Illumina’s bioinformatics services. Many SNPs have already been validated on this platform, and others are assigned a score predicting how successful they are likely to be. If you are using our Beckman Coulter SNPstream platform, we will guide you through SNP selection, and offer you the option of pre-testing your SNP panel at an additional cost. Upon validation, if you wish to reject/replace or redesign certain assays, you may do so for a small additional fee.

The amount of DNA required will be determined by the number of SNPs being analyzed as well as the type of genotyping system being used. The following are rough guidelines. In each case, we require additional DNA for quantitation and system dead volumes: - for Beckman Coulter SNPstream, we require at least 2 ng per 12-plex or 48-plex assay - for Illumina’s GoldenGate assay, we require at least 250 ng per 96-plex or 1,536-plex assay - for Illumina’s Infinium (whole-genome) assay, we require at least 750 ng of DNA

A customized report is emailed to you at project completion. This report includes summary statistics of call rates (pass/fail) and assay conversion (successful assay development for each SNP) as well as a table of the specific genotype calls.

Yes. We can provide raw data for review in most cases. However, some very large data sets may contain too much information for the files to be opened with standard analysis packages. In these cases, clients are welcome to visit our lab to review the raw data.

Ellipsis always maintains client data in strictest confidentiality. We will be pleased to execute a Confidential Disclosure Agreement with you prior to our discussions, if you, your institution or company so requires.

Ellipsis currently prepares DNA from blood and buccal swab samples. Please contact us at genotyping@ellipsisbio.com if you require DNA preparation from other sources.

Ellipsis has a wide variety of clients interested in numerous plant and animal species. We have experience in genotyping projects for medical research, non-medical human applications, agriculture and the food industry.