Konstanz, Germany, December 1, 2009 / b3c newswire / — GATC Biotech and Complete Genomics, Inc., today announced the execution of a research collaboration agreement to sequence several human genomes from samples provided by GATC. The companies will collaborate to analyze the data obtained from the research project. Complete Genomics will sequence and assemble the genomes and provide GATC with detected variants including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels. GATC will then perform additional bioinformatics analysis such as comparison of the variant data of different genomes. In addition, the company will refine the data with the aim of providing researchers and clinicians with relevant genomic details to advance their understanding of the genetic causes of disease. The pilot project has started and the first sequencing data will be evaluated by GATC soon.
“GATC aims to continually offer our customers the most innovative, efficient and integrated sequencing technologies and applications for their research projects. To achieve our 100-Human-Genome-Project goal, evaluating Complete Genomics’ human genome sequencing technology is a logical step,” explains Peter Pohl, CEO of GATC Biotech.
“We are pleased to be working with GATC Biotech on this project which will further demonstrate the value of our large-scale, high-quality, low-cost human genome sequencing service,” said Dr. Clifford Reid, chairman, president, and CEO of Complete Genomics.
About Complete Genomics - www.completegenomics.com
Founded in 2006, Complete Genomics is a California company that has developed a novel approach to sequencing human DNA that is revolutionizing the human genome sequencing industry. Complete Genomics combines its proprietary third-generation DNA sequencing technology with its high-performance computing capabilities to deliver low-cost, high-quality genomic data on an unprecedented scale. The company is currently building the world’s largest human genome sequencing center. This development will allow academic and biopharmaceutical researchers, for the first time, to conduct large-scale complete human genome studies that will help identify the genetic underpinnings of complex diseases and drug responses.
About GATC Biotech – www.gatc-biotech.com
GATC Biotech is Europe’s leading service provider of DNA sequencing and bioinformatics for industry and academic research. For two decades the company has been continuously developing new and comprehensive solutions for DNA sequencing and bioinformatics sequence analysis – for individual DNA samples through to whole transcriptome and genome projects. With a total of 13 sequencing instruments (ABI 3730xl, Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx, Roche GS FLX) GATC has the largest commercially available sequencing capacity in Europe with two terabases per year. The company is the first sequencing service provider in Germany to have completed the Illumina CSPro certification process. More than 100 employees serve over 10,000 customers in 40 countries around the globe, and the company has subsidiary companies in Great Britain, France and Sweden.
