Helicos BioSciences Announces First 'Early Access' Partnership With Institute For Systems Biology

Cambridge, MA - Helicos BioSciences, a pioneer in high-speed, high-sensitivity sequencing, announced a new partnership with the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) as the company's first "Early Access" program research collaborator. The ISB is an internationally renowned non-profit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. The partnership will allow the ISB access to Helicos' True Single Molecule Sequencing (tSMS) technology and protocols for use in its scientifically groundbreaking research projects. The tSMS technology enables researchers to rapidly and accurately sequence individual molecules of DNA and RNA and promises to provide both maximum efficiency and cost-savings.

"The Institute for Systems Biology is very excited to begin applying the capabilities of true single molecule sequencing technology in the area of cancer research. The tSMS technology will allow us to address questions in the field of oncology that have, up until this point, remained elusive," said Leroy Hood, president and co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology.

"Helicos is pleased to have the prestigious Institute for Systems Biology as a research partner in the 'Early Access' program," said Stanley N. Lapidus, president and CEO of Helicos BioSciences. "While the promise of single molecule sequencing has drawn research attention and investment for almost two decades, we are finally at the point where its promise can begin to be realized. As pioneers in DNA and RNA sequencing and detection, Dr. Hood and his group represent an auspicious initial collaboration for our program, and for the application of tSMS in general. We look forward to a growing number of future partnerships with leading researchers worldwide."

SOURCE: Helicos BioSciences