Global service providers select Applied Biosystems’ next-generation sequencer for genomic services offerings

Applied Biosystems, an Applera Corporation business, today announced that it has established a next-generation genomic analysis service provider programme for scientists interested in using the SOLiD™ System to answer biological questions that currently cannot be addressed with existing technologies. The SOLiD System Service Provider Programme is intended to provide the scientific community with broad access to a comprehensive solution for genomic research. Scientists may now access next-generation technology through several global service providers who have selected the SOLiD System to complete their genomics offerings.

By incorporating the SOLiD System into their services offerings, members of the programme are enabling scientists to use a single system to make meaningful associations between variations in the kinds and amounts of DNA or RNA and disease. The SOLiD System is expected to help facilitate and simplify the identification, collection and analysis of genetic information. Each of the service providers plan to use the SOLiD System to conduct a wide range of applications, including whole genome sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), microbial and eukaryotic resequencing, digital karyotyping, medical sequencing, genotyping, gene expression and small RNA discovery, among others.

Initial members of the programme include Agencourt Bioscience Corporation (United States), GATC Biotech (Germany), Seqwright DNA Sequencing (United States) and Sistemas Genómicos (Spain). These leading providers are among the early customers of Applied Biosystems’ SOLiD System, offering comprehensive services which include ultra high throughput genetic analysis, protocol assistance, and data storage and analysis to their respective end users.

Members of the next-generation services community
One of the service providers, Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter, Inc., currently has a SOLiD System in its Genomic Services sequencing operation and has recently acquired its second system. Applied Biosystems has worked with Agencourt on a number of projects over the past few years and the two companies continue to collaborate on key projects, such as the mutation detection study in the genome of the ethanol-producing yeast, Pichia stipitis.

“We’ve been pleased with the data we see coming from the new SOLiD System platform, and have numerous customer projects in process, including genome resequencing and methylation discovery,” said Erick Suh, director of Agencourt Genomic Services. “With two systems, we have additional bandwidth to serve our existing commercial and academic customers. The strength of Agencourt’s commercial sequencing operation is further enhanced by the addition of the SOLiD System sequencers.”

GATC is a service provider based in Germany that offers its DNA analysis expertise and sequencing capacity to strategic partners from academia and industry, and to customers who are interested in sequencing up to 100 human genomes by the end of 2010. The SOLiD System will be utilised in combination with bioinformatic solutions which are expected to decrease the overall costs. “The SOLiD System is ideal for the identification of indels, rearrangements and structural variants due to its mate pair libraries with large inserts,” said Peter Pohl, GATC’s CEO. “We have already received sequencing orders for this exciting system prior to its finished installation.”

Serving academic and pharmaceutical researchers with contract genomic solutions for more than 13 years is Houston, Texas-based SeqWright, a world-class genomics service provider that offers an extensive genomics and molecular biology service portfolio. SeqWright’s adoption of the SOLiD System builds on a long-standing relationship with Applied Biosystems and increases its strength as a contract sequencing facility by allowing its team of scientists to expand the company’s technology and bioinformatics support offerings.

“Our customers, both old and new, are becoming aware of the potential of this powerful new platform and are eager to consult with our team of experts to help guide them through the many applications of this technology,” said Dr David Buck, PhD, Vice President of operations at SeqWright. “The flexibility, accuracy, and data generation capabilities of the SOLiD System are opening doors to projects that were beyond the budgets of many researchers prior to its release. We look forward to playing a part in the myriad exciting projects our customers are talking to us about, and helping shape the future of scientific research for years to come.”

Offering the international scientific community integral genomic solutions, including the use of various molecular biology technology and techniques, is Sistemas Genómicos, a leading genomic research company in Spain. The SOLiD System at Sistemas is expected to be utilised to expand the company’s involvement in national and international research projects, including food quality testing and genetic disease research.

“We have received a number of customer requests relating to whole genome sequencing and believe that the SOLiD System’s speed and flexibility will be more attractive to end users for this type of research in comparison to other next-generation sequencing systems,” said Professor Manuel Pérez-Alonso, scientific manager, Sistemas Genómicos. “The high throughput nature of the system should enable cost-effective genomic sequencing for a variety of applications, including deep sequencing and comparative genome analysis.”

SOLiD System - setting the standard for next-generation sequencing
Applied Biosystems set the standard for quality genetic analysis by providing the most robust line of automated capillary electrophoresis systems. With the launch of the SOLiD System, new standards are now being established for next-generation genomic platforms in terms of throughput, accuracy, robustness and scalability. Applied Biosystems is supporting the SOLiD System Service Provider Programme by providing technical and marketing support, which is expected to enhance the participating service providers’ ability to deliver genetic analysis services to customers.

“Our service provider programme demonstrates our commitment to provide broader access to next-generation genomic analysis technology,” said Kim Caple, vice president and general manager for Applied Biosystems’ next-generation sequencing business. “By partnering with these influential service providers, we are facilitating access to the SOLiD System, which should enable scientists to accelerate important research that links genetic variation and medical conditions.”

At the foundation of the SOLiD System Service Provider Programme is the SOLiD System, which is based on sequencing by oligonucleotide ligation and detection. The system consists of an end-to-end next-generation genetic analysis solution comprised of the sequencing unit, chemistry, a computing cluster and data storage. The SOLiD System is currently the industry’s highest throughput next-generation sequencing platform available. The platform is capable of generating 4 gigabases of throughput, and is distinguished by its raw base accuracy, which is greater than 99.94 per cent after two-base encoding, a mechanism that discriminates random or systematic errors from true single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).