Life Technologies of Carlsbad, California has released its latest genome sequencing device, the SOLID 4 System. The company promises sequencing of 100 gigabases at a cost of $6,000 and an optional upgrade later this year that will drop it down to $3,000. The system is already selling like hot cakes with an order for 100 units coming in from Ignite Institute, a new non-profit that is building North America’s largest sequencing facility.
The company introduced the Applied Biosystems SOLiD(TM) 4 Sequencing System, the most advanced next-generation genomic analysis sequencing system on the market, generating up to 100 gigabases of mappable sequence data per run at a cost of $6,000 per genome. The system, which leverages proprietary advances in sequencing chemistry, will be available as an upgrade for all SOLiD installations in the first quarter of 2010. The company also announced that in the second half of the year, the SOLiD 4 System can be upgraded with the SOLiD 4hq package, which will generate up to 300 gigabases of mappable sequence data per run and deliver unprecedented accuracy of 99.99 percent, enabling customers to sequence the highest quality whole genome for a cost of $3,000.
Concurrent with the launch of the SOLiD 4 System, researchers will also be able to reduce overall sequencing costs by automating their workflow through the introduction of the Applied Biosystems EZ Bead(TM) System. The EZ Bead System dramatically improves the efficiency of sample preparation and reduces hands-on and turnaround time by as much as 90 percent.
Features from the SOLID 4 product page:
Scalable system – 100 GB today, extendable to 300 GB with the SOLiD™ 4hq System upgrade Superior accuracy – More than 80% of the bases have quality values >30 for higher confidence in your results Uniform coverage – Total Precision reagents improve coverage to enable the discovery of rare variants in difficult (GC/AT-rich) regions of the genome for fewer false negatives Expanded application support – Barcoded paired-end sequencing that detects somatic mutations, novel splice variation, and fusion transcripts with less input material Automated sample preparation – 80% reduction in hands-on time
Press releases: Life Technologies Brings Genomic Sequencing Closer to the Clinic…; Life Technologies and Ignite Institute Partner to Create Largest Next Generation Genomic Sequencing Facility in North America…
Product page: SOLiD™ 4 System…