BRANFORD, Conn., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CuraGen Corporation's majority-owned subsidiary 454 Life Sciences Corporation today announced that researchers have uncovered a new class of small, non-coding RNAs in worms. Using massively parallel sequencing technology, David Bartel, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and colleagues sequenced some 400,000 small RNAs from Caenorhabditis elegans, identifying 18 new microRNA genes and more than 5,000 other RNAs of a type that had not been previously reported. The study, entitled, "Large-scale sequencing reveals 21U-RNAs and additional microRNAs and endogenous siRNAs in C. elegans" appeared in the December 15 issue of the journal Cell, and describes how 454 Sequencing(TM) was used to determine the small RNAs naturally found in worms.
"This discovery further emphasizes the point that we have not completely reached the depths of RNA function, and we are excited to see how this develops," said Michael Egholm, Ph.D., Vice President, Molecular Biology, 454 Life Sciences. "It will be interesting to see if the ultra-deep capabilities of 454 Sequencing will lead to the discovery of new classes of small RNAs in other species."
Bartel's group has been systematically working its way through the RNA census of C. elegans for several years now. In 2001, the group sequenced 330 small RNAs using traditional Sanger sequencing to identify 55 microRNAs. Bartel followed that project up in 2003 with a deeper sequencing effort, reading 4,000 small RNAs to yield an additional 40 or so microRNAs. In this latest study, his team used 454 Sequencing to read some 400,000 small RNAs, including 18 new microRNAs.
454 Life Sciences has made its technology commercially available via the 454 Sequencing Center, which offers sequencing services to clients worldwide. The Genome Sequencer 20 System and related products are sold worldwide by Roche Applied Science, a business unit of Roche Diagnostics.
About 454 Life Sciences
454 Life Sciences, established in 2000 as a majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation , develops and commercializes novel instrumentation for high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, with specific application to whole-genome sequencing and ultra-deep sequencing of target genes. The hallmarks of 454 Sequencing(TM) are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and massively parallel sequencing, which makes large-scale scientific projects feasible and more affordable. The Genome Sequencer 20(TM) System enables one individual to prepare and sequence an entire genome, regardless of size. A single instrument using patented light emitting sequencing chemistries produces over 20 million nucleotide bases per five-hour run, more than 60 times the capacity of currently available instruments. In 2005, 454 Sequencing and the Genome Sequencer 20 System won The Wall Street Journal's top Innovation Award for 2005, and received an R&D 100 Editor's Choice Award as one of the most technologically significant products introduced in 2006. The 454 Sequencing Center offers sequencing services directly to customers on a fee for service basis. The Genome Sequencer 20 system is exclusively distributed for 454 Life Sciences by Roche Applied Science, a division of Roche Diagnostics. For additional information please visit http://www.454.com.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans or prospects regarding the future, including the potential for 454 Life Sciences technology to have long-term impact on research and society. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen caution investors that there can be no assurance that actual results or business conditions will not differ materially from those projected or suggested in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the early stage of development of 454 Life Sciences' products and technologies; customer acceptance of 454 Life Sciences' products and technologies; 454 Life Sciences' ability to scale-up production of its products and technologies; disputes between 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen; the success of competing products and technologies; technological uncertainty and product development risks; uncertainties of clinical trials, government regulation and healthcare reform; uncertainty of additional funding with respect to both CuraGen and 454 Life Sciences; 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's history of incurring losses and the uncertainty of achieving profitability; CuraGen's stage of development as a biopharmaceutical company; patent infringement claims against 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's products, processes and technologies; the ability to protect 454 Life Sciences' and CuraGen's patents and proprietary rights; uncertainties relating to commercialization rights; product liability exposure; and competition. Please refer to CuraGen's Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q for a complete description of these risks. 454 Life Sciences and CuraGen disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
454(R) is a registered trademark of 454 Life Sciences Corporation. 454 Life Sciences(TM), Genome Sequencer 20(TM), PicoTiterPlate(TM), and 454 Sequencing(TM) are trademarks of 454 Life Sciences Corporation.
CRGN-454 CuraGen Corporation Noonan Russo Glenn Schulman Benjamin Carmichael Assistant Director of IR (212) 845-4242 info@curagen.combenjamin.carmichael@eurorscg.com (888) 436-6642
454 Life Sciences Corporation; CuraGen CorporationCONTACT: CuraGen Corporation, Glenn Schulman, Assistant Director of IR,info@curagen.com, 1-888-436-6642; or Noonan Russo, Benjamin Carmichael,+1-212-845-4242, benjamin.carmichael@eurorscg.com
Web site: http://www.454.com/
