Abstract
Each year when I attend the American Society of Human Genetics meeting, I stroll up and down the vendor exhibits to see what's new, and, at the most recent meeting, I noticed one booth that stopped me in my tracks. The company was Complete Genomics, and I asked the rep about the cost of sequencing small stretches of the genome for a project in the lab. She told me they only do “complete” sequencing—full human genome sequencing. “That's why it's called ‘Complete’,” she added. OK, I get it—so how much does it cost? “$20,000 per sample if you order sequence for eight samples.”
Highlights
Each year when I attend the American Society of Human Genetics meeting, I stroll up and down the vendor exhibits to see what’s new, and, at the most recent meeting, I noticed one booth that stopped me in my tracks
Figuring that anybody who can produce accurate full sequence for that kind of money has to have a clever idea, I looked at the exhibit materials more closely. Part of their success comes from employing ‘‘rolling circle’’ replication to amplify a small circular piece of genomic DNA that is interrupted by four adapters
The rep pointed me in the direction of the inventor and company co-founder, Radoje Drmanac (Image 1), informally called ‘‘Rade,’’ who was deep in conversation with someone else, so I moved on
Summary
Each year when I attend the American Society of Human Genetics meeting, I stroll up and down the vendor exhibits to see what’s new, and, at the most recent meeting, I noticed one booth that stopped me in my tracks. The four adapter sequences serve as the anchors for sequencing—not by enzymatic extension, but rather by sequential hybridization and ligation of pairs of oligonucleotides for each base position. I discovered that Rade’s scientific career has been driven by his ambition to sequence human genomic DNA using oligonucleotides. Gitschier: Normally when I interview someone, I like to start with a little biographical background and work my way up, but in this case, I want to do the opposite.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
