CuraGen, Roche Diagnostics launch updated version of the Genome Sequencer 20 System

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, April 26 - 454 Life Sciences Corp., a majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corp., and Roche Diagnostics announced Wednesday the launch of an updated version of the Genome Sequencer 20 System.

Company officials said the newest version of the system comes with improvements that include a single read accuracy of greater than or equal to 99%, software algorithms to enable additional applications, two additional PicoTiterPlate gasket formats, extended shelf life and improved reagent handling such as rapid thawing protocols and a Laboratory Information Management System enabled mode, facilitating embedding of the system into lab infrastructures, according to a news release.

Officials said the new features will yield improvements in the way the system can be used and in the data that result.

The increased accuracy of single reads, greater than or equal to 99%, will further increase the quality of consensus sequences. It also will improve the confidence level of putative sequence deviations detected using heterozygote calling and ultra deep amplicon sequencing, which the companies plan to launch later this year, officials said.

The new software algorithms result in improved assembly and contigging procedures and allow for sequencing of hundreds of thousands of short DNA fragments, such as serial analysis of gene expression tags or cap analysis of gene expression tags, miRNA or chromatin immunoprecipitation fragments.

By combining new gasket formats with new software capabilities, the system's flexibility will be increased considerably, enabling more applications to be addressed more efficiently, officials said.

Roche is a Basel, Switzerland, pharmaceutical and health care products company.

Curagen is a Branford, Conn., biopharmaceutical company with a 66% majority ownership in 454 Life Sciences, which is commercializing novel instrumentation and measurement services for nucleotide sequencing.

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