METHOD FOR MASSIVELY PARALLEL DNA SEQUENCING - Isis Project No 1451

Researchers at University of Oxford have developed a method that will enable high throughput, low-cost DNA sequencing.

Marketing Opportunity

DNA sequencing has traditionally utilised the Sanger gel migration method which is both time-consuming and expensive. There is currently a major drive to develop alternative lower-cost and faster methods to meet the demand for large-scale automated genomic scale sequencing. The Oxford invention addresses many of the issues encountered when striving to achieve this.

The Oxford Invention

The Oxford invention offers a method for DNA “sequencing by synthesis” using a ligation method that can be employed on a large scale, with lower costs and faster speeds on a conventional array platform or on a novel single molecule microarray format.

Features of the technology are:

• can be employed for large scale sequencing with multiple parallel reactions
• will be cheaper than existing  and emerging alternatives (no highly modified nucleotides are required)
• can be readily automated
• the high accuracy of ligation reactions
• can be adapted to utilise multiple labels
• has the potential to achieve long read lengths
• does not suffer from de-phasing as read length increases (with single molecule analysis)
• can potentially provide more informative sequence reads than existing technology
• can be applied on standard microarrays/genchips (i.e. 3’ to 5’ oligonucleotide orientation)

Although the ligation method has been described utilising a microarray platform, it is adaptable and not restricted to this platform.

Patent Status

 This is the subject of Patent application WO 2005/040425

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