Dutch company Qiagen has launched a customisable version of its Quantitect Gene Expression Assay kit that should, it claims, allow a researcher to design and order assays to measure the expression of any gene from any organism in minutes.

In May, Qiagen launched off-the-peg versions of the QuantiTect assays which covered human and mouse gene sets, but it has been able to develop the customisable version thanks to software and technology developed by US company Epoch Biosciences.

The QuantiTect assays can provide precise and rapid quantitative measurement of gene expression levels, according to Qiagen. The company said they are easy to use, work on any real-time thermal cycler system and offer a range of benefits, including the prevention of co-amplification of genomic DNA, an occurrence that can compromise assay sensitivity and efficiency.

The custom assays are made possible through the integration of Epoch's design software and an interactive Internet ordering technology developed by Qiagen , allowing customers to design and purchase made-to-order assays online.