The TaqMan® OpenArray® Human Stem Cell Panel is an efficient, easy-to-use OpenArray® plate for the characterization of undifferentiated stem cells or their differentiated derivatives. This gene signature panel targets 609 well-defined genes validated as markers for pluripotency, plus 22 endogenous control genes. The format of the OpenArray® plate allows for 1–4 replicates to be run in parallel per plate.

The TaqMan® OpenArray® Human Stem Cell Panel contains a well-defined set of validated gene expression markers to characterize human embryonic stem (ES) cell identity and assess phenotypic variations between embryonic stem cell isolates. The gene content of this OpenArray® plate resulted directly from the work of the I.S.C.I consortium and characterization of human embryonic stem cell lines by the International Stem Cell Initiative.

The plate is pre-formatted and inventoried, cost-effective, convenient, and easy-to-use, without the need for expensive robotics. Results are reproducible and consistent across samples, studies, and labs—for the same data quality from plate-to-plate and lot-to-lot, even with different operators.

The Right Targets
This OpenArray® plate uses the proprietary Applied Biosystems® OpenArray® technology to simultaneously analyze gene expression levels by quantitative PCR for 609 test genes and 22 endogenous controls.

Genes were included based on the following criteria:

• Expression in human embryonal carcinoma cells (hEC), primordial germ cells, or human ES (hES) cells
• Known role in maintenance of pluripotency in hES cells
• Identification in microplate-based experiments as being correlated with the stem cell state
• Expression known to be characteristic of specific differentiation lineages in the post implantation embryo and mature tissues

This panel is intended for use with the TaqMan® OpenArray® Real-time PCR System, which can cycle and image 3 plates simultaneously, providing high-throughput results with ease.

Note: equivalent panels for use with the QuantStudio™ 12K Flex instrument are also available.