Illumina Announces Technical Breakthroughs At The 2007 Advances In Genome Biology And Technology Conference
Array of Collaborator and User Data Validates and Extends System Utility of Illumina Genome Analyzer
San Diego - Illumina researchers today announced that they have made new developments that enable users of the Illumina Genome Analyzer to broaden the application of the system to discover and characterize all types of genetic sequence variation. Additionally, current users of the Genome Analyzer presented data at the annual 2007 Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) conference on a wide range of new applications of Solexa Sequencing, including cancer genome sequencing, genome-wide mapping of sites of gene regulation, and digital expression.
"The recently announced advances by our researchers, as well as users of the Illumina Genome Analyzer endorse the utility of the system for entirely new approaches to genetic analysis," said John West, Illumina's Senior Vice President and General Manager, DNA Sequencing Business. "These positive results further validate the emergence of the Genome Analyzer as what we believe to be the leading next-generation sequencing technology of choice."
The key technical advances announced include:
- Novel, simple methods for generating high quality paired reads. Researchers will use these methods for a variety of applications, including detection of genomic insertions, deletions, and chromosome rearrangements prevalent in cancer and other diseases. In addition, these methods will also enable de novo sequencing and assembly of bacterial and mammalian genomes.
- Increased individual readlengths to over 50 bases while enabling over 90 percent of the reads to be aligned to the human genome at high accuracy.
- Methods for achieving high levels of sample multiplexing in a single channel. These methods will allow researchers to rapidly sequence the same genes in hundreds of individuals for a few dollars each.
- Improved methods to routinely generate over a billion bases of high quality raw data per flowcell.
These technical breakthroughs are expected to enhance the utility of the Illumina Genome Analyzer and will enable collaborators and users of the technology to build on the array of results that they reported at the conference. These results show that Solexa Sequencing is transforming the disciplines of genetics and genome biology. "Ultra high throughput DNA sequencing is transforming the way biologists can measure what the genome does," stated Professor Barbara Wold, Director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology. "The digital character of the data, its statistical robustness, sensitivity, and specificity are superior to prior methods. This combines to make an important qualitative difference in what we were able to learn from our experiments."
The results reported by collaborators and current users of the Illumina Genome Analyzer have increased demand for the system. To date, Illumina has received over 40 orders, of which 13 units were shipped in 2006. The orders are comprised of customers ranging from academic, industrial, to core facilities. These orders are expected to be shipped over the next several quarters.
SOURCE: Illumina, Inc.