EMBL and DNASTAR Expand License Agreement to Include Next Generation Sequencing Tool SeqMan NGen

DNASTAR® and its German distribution partner, GATC Biotech, Konstanz, Germany, announced the expansion of its bioinformatics licensing arrangement with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg facility to include DNASTAR’s Next Generation Sequence assembly tool SeqMan NGen™. This expands the already existing arrangement between the two organizations where EMBL had recently renewed its multi-network arrangement for use of the Lasergene® software for sequence analysis.

Under the terms of the license arrangement, EMBL’s Genomics Core Facility will have access to the SeqMan NGen and Lasergene tools for use on a range of projects using multiple sequencing platforms. While Lasergene continues to be one of the leading DNA sequence analysis software packages commercially available, its utility has been enhanced by the addition of the SeqMan NGen assembly tool to allow it to be used for both conventional and second generation sequencing types of projects. The company has reported considerable interest in this “graduate” approach which permits existing Lasergene users to easily move up to sequence assembly and analysis of high throughput sequencing platform data while continuing to use familiar software.

Bob Steinhauser, DNASTAR’s Director of Marketing, commented that “EMBL has a long history of using DNASTAR’s Lasergene software for sequence analysis projects. The upgrade to SeqMan NGen for many of their Next Generation Sequence assembly needs allow their researchers to work with conventional and Next Generation Sequence projects with an upgraded version of the software (Lasergene v8.0 and higher) they have used in the past. This significantly reduces time needed to become proficient with the software, giving them more time to delve into the issues of their specific research projects.”

SeqMan NGen is an assembly tool specifically designed to be used in large sequencing projects where new Next Generation Sequence platforms are being used. It has a desktop computer focus and an ability to work with a wide range of project assembly sizes due to its RAM-dependent design. Compatibility with a well-known analysis software suite, Lasergene, simplifies analysis and user ramp-up times. The EMBL facility joins a growing list of public and private organizations that are adopting Next Generation Sequencing platforms from a variety of manufacturers and that are realizing the benefits of building on an analysis software suite in their facility to reduce support time.