Single Molecule Sequencing Technology Brings Genomic Screening to the Clinical Lab

Technologies are beginning to emerge that will allow clinical laboratories to deliver genomic sequence data within a few hours rather than in the days or weeks that are currently required.

Life Technologies Corp. (Carlsbad, CA, USA) has introduced its single molecule sequencing (SMS) technology, which uses Qdot nanocrystals as its core sequencing engine. Qdots are nanometer-sized semiconductor crystals designed for cellular imaging research and for the detection of individual protein molecules.

Qdots are combined with advanced imaging instruments such as the SOLiD system, which generates signals more than 100 times more powerful than other dye or fluorescence techniques. The new technology uses specially designed sequencing versions of Qdot nanocrystals, attached to proprietary DNA polymerase molecules.

The system monitors the real time incorporation of nucleotides into individual growing DNA strands. As nucleotides are incorporated, they are energized by photons transferred from the Qdot nanocrystal, generating a characteristic colored flash of fluorescence light. The system records the time and color series of these light flashes to determine the nucleotide sequence of each individual DNA strand.

A novel attribute of the system is reagent exchange, where individual Qdot polymerases and synthesized templates can be removed and replaced with new ones. This enables immobilized individual DNA templates to be sequenced several times in a recursive fashion, allowing for highly accurate reads with minimal sample preparation. Reagent exchange enables linking together of multiple long reads to enable virtually unlimited read lengths.

"We see our single molecule technology as the perfect complement to our SOLiD and capillary electrophoresis platforms. As these systems have been and continue to be instrumental in genomic discovery, this new technology will be ideal for settings in which rapid, highly accurate sequencing results are necessary,” said Kip Miller, president of the genetic systems division at Life Technologies. "Our investment in the development of this SMS system demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the entire DNA sequencing technology continuum.”

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