Chromatin Meets South

The 10th anniversary of the “Chromatin Meets South” lecture series focuses on fundamental aspects of chromatin biology and the latest advances in understanding chromatin structure and function, gene expression and genome integrity, particularly in relation to cancer. This meeting brings together leading researchers from the south of France to explore outstanding questions on chromatin-related topics, allowing participants to identify new opportunities for research and collaborations, and allowing PhD students and postdocs to present their findings to a wide audience.

Join us at our seminar! ”Unravelling the Complexity of Chromatin using Covaris Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA®)”

When: Friday June 14
Time: 10:10-10:20
Presenter: Ioannis Tsokos, Field Applications Scientist, Covaris

Click here to learn more about Chromatin Meets South.

Abstract:

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) has become a cornerstone technique for investigating protein-DNA interactions and epigenetic modifications in vivo, providing critical insights into gene regulation mechanisms and their implications in diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders. However, the efficiency and reproducibility of ChIP assays heavily depend on the precise shearing of chromatin.

Covaris offers a groundbreaking solution with its Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA®) technology, revolutionizing the chromatin shearing process. Unlike traditional methods—such as enzymatic fragmentation, probe sonication, and bath sonication—AFA provides a non-contact, thermal controlled shearing approach that ensures high precision, accuracy, and reproducibility. This technology mitigates common issues such as fragmenting bias, thermal degradation, and cross-contamination, delivering consistent fragment sizes ideal for next-generation sequencing (NGS) applications.

Key advantages of Covaris truChIP with AFA include:

• Controlled Shearing Size Range: Ensuring precise fragment sizes from 150-700 bp, essential for NGS library preparation.
• Thermal Control: Maintaining epitope integrity and preventing damage during processing.
• Standardized Protocols: Universal protocols that work across all mammalian cells, reducing the need for extensive optimization and enabling rapid, reproducible results.

The presentation will highlight:

• An overview of the ChIP technique and its evolution.
• The distinct benefits of AFA technology in enhancing ChIP workflows.
• Supporting data demonstrating the superior performance of truChIP in generating high-quality, reproducible chromatin fragments suitable for various downstream applications, including ChIP-Seq, Hi-C, Methyl-Seq, FAIRE-Seq, ChIRP, and ChIA-PET.

Summary:

By optimizing critical steps such as fixation, cell lysis, and chromatin shearing, Covaris AFA technology significantly improves the reliability and efficiency of chromatin studies.