Sequencing

In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes falsely called primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succinctly summarizes much of the atomic-level structure of the sequenced molecule.

DNA sequencing

DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleotide order of a given DNA fragment. So far, most DNA sequencing has been performed using the chain termination method developed by Frederick Sanger. This technique uses sequence-specific termination of a DNA synthesis reaction using modified nucleotide substrates. However, new sequencing technologies such as pyrosequencing are gaining an increasing share of the sequencing market. More genome data are now being produced by pyrosequencing than Sanger DNA sequencing. Pyrosequencing has enabled rapid genome sequencing. Bacterial genomes can be sequenced in a single run with several times coverage with this technique. This technique was also used to sequence the genome of James Watson recently.

454 Life Sciences

454 Life Sciences is a biotechnology company based in Branford, Connecticut. It is a subsidiary of Roche, and specializes in high-throughput DNA sequencing.

History and major achievements

454 Life Sciences was founded by Jonathan Rothberg originally as 454 Corporation, a subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation. For their method for low-cost gene sequencing, 454 Life Sciences were awarded the Wall Street Journal's Gold Medal for Innovation in the Biotech-Medical category in 2005. The name 454 was the code name by which the project was referred to at CuraGen and the numbers have no special meaning.

In November 2006, Rothberg, Michael Egholm, and colleagues at 454 published a cover article with Svante Pääbo in Nature describing the first million base pairs of the Neanderthal genome, and initiated the Neanderthal Genome Project to complete the sequence of the Neanderthal genome by 2009.

Ownership

In late March 2007, Roche Diagnostics announced an agreement to purchase 454 Life Sciences for US$154.9 million. It will remain a separate business unit. In October 2013, Roche announced that it will shut down 454, and stop supporting the platform by mid-2016.