NHGRI seeks DNA sequencing technologies fit for routine laboratory and m...(hat could be implemented in the near fut...)

Steven A. Benner, Ph.D., Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Inc., Gainesville, Florida
$1.1 million (3 years)
Near-Term Development of Reagents and Enzymes for Genome Sequencing

This laboratory will apply innovative nucleic acid analogs and enzymes that accept them to stepwise diminish the cost of whole genome sequencing. These technologies, supported by bioinformatic workbenches, enable paths around cost-generating steps by increasing the number of reactions that are run in parallel, to prepare genomic DNA for the sequencing process.

Jingyue Ju, Ph.D., Columbia University, New York
$950,000 (2 years)
DNA Sequencing with Reversible dNTP and Cleavable Fluorescent ddNTP Terminators

This team will develop a hybrid strategy that uses a mixture of chemically modified DNA constituents called nucleotides, along with new methods to restart the sequencing reaction, to improve the length and quality of DNA information produced by sequencing-by-synthesis.

Mostafa Ronaghi, Ph.D., Illumina Inc., San Diego, Calif.
$5.1 million (3 years)
Development of a 10Gb Pyrosequencer

The principal investigator of this team is an inventor of pyrosequencing, which uses unmodified nucleotides to synthesize DNA and generate chemiluminescent signals. Researchers plan to further develop a highly integrated and parallel format with improved equipment for detection of the chemiluminescent signals resulting in an approach that will enable human genome sequencing below $100,000.

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