BRANFORD, Conn., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- 454 Life Sciences Corporation, a majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation , announced today that the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has added a new standard submission format for its Trace Archive of sequencing data. Data generated with 454 Life Sciences’ technology can now be directly entered into the Trace Archive. Sequence trace data generated with 454 Life Sciences’ technology is submitted in a newly created format called Standard Flowgram Format (SFF) and represents the first new sequence trace format adopted by the NCBI since the Sanger method.
“The woolly mammoth DNA we recently sequenced at Penn State represents the first genomic data submitted to the NCBI database in the 454 Life Sciences’ format. We are delighted with the Genome Sequencer 20 System and its ability to rapidly perform DNA sequencing on samples, which could not previously be sequenced, and the ability to submit the sequencing data directly to the Trace Archive. The submission of our sequencing data allowed for the results to be publicly available prior to the publication of our article in the peer-reviewed journal, Science,” stated Stephan C. Schuster, Associate Professor at Penn State’s Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics.
“Today’s announcement underscores 454 Life Sciences’ commitment to working cooperatively with the academic community to facilitate genetic research and the open exchange of sequence information,” stated Christopher K. McLeod, President and Chief Executive Officer of 454 Life Sciences. “We are pleased that the NCBI has adopted a standard for accepting data generated with 454 Life Sciences’ Genome Sequencer 20 System into the Trace Archive. We hope that the extraordinary amount of data being generated with our technology will be placed into the public domain, thereby fostering research in a variety of areas including medicine, biology, and paleontology.”
The Trace Archive (in collaboration with the Ensembl Trace Server) is a repository for the raw sequence data underlying genome projects. Although the initial data deposition to this repository occurred in early 2001, the content of the repository is rapidly approaching 1,000,000,000 traces representing over 480 species. The Trace Archive has become crucial in the storage, management and dissemination of sequence data.
“It is exciting that the data generated on the Genome Sequencer 20 System is in a format that can be deposited directly into the NCBI Trace Archive. This will make the massive amount of data generated by this revolutionary system easily available to the scientific community. It is refreshing to see that 454 Life Sciences is working closely with those of us who support open data formats and improved data access,” stated Dr. Bruce A. Roe, George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma.
For more information on SFF, see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Traces/trace.cgi?cmd=show&f=formats&m=doc&s=format
About NCBI
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is a division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI’s mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease. More specifically, the NCBI has been charged with creating automated systems for storing and analyzing knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics; facilitating the use of such databases and software by the research and medical community; coordinating efforts to gather biotechnology information both nationally and internationally; and performing research into advanced methods of computer-based information processing for analyzing the structure and function of biologically important molecules.
About 454 Life Sciences
454 Life Sciences, a 66% majority-owned subsidiary of CuraGen Corporation , is commercializing novel instrumentation and measurement services for rapidly and comprehensively conducting high-throughput nucleotide sequencing, with specific application to sequencing of whole genomes and ultra-deep sequencing of target genes. 454 Life Sciences’ Genome Sequencer 20 System enables one individual to prepare and sequence an entire genome after performing a single sample preparation, irrespective of the size of the genome being studied. The hallmark of 454 Life Sciences’ technology is the PicoTiterPlate(TM), which allows a single instrument using patented light emitting sequencing chemistries to produce over 20 million nucleotide bases per five-hour run, totaling more than 100 times the capacity of instruments using the current macro-scale technology.
454 Life Sciences offers sequencing services directly to customers on a fee for service basis at its state-of-the-art Measurement Services Center. The Genome Sequencer 20 System and reagents are available exclusively from Roche Applied Sciences. For additional information on 454 Life Sciences, please visit http://www.454.com. For additional information on the Genome Sequencer 20 System and reagents, please visit http://www.roche-applied-science.com.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These statements include statements concerning expectations regarding the ability to rapidly perform DNA sequencing on samples with 454 Life Sciences’ technology that could not previously be sequenced, the hope that the extraordinary amount of data generated with 454 Life Sciences’ technology will be placed into the public domain thereby fostering research in a variety of areas including medicine, biology, and paleontology, and that the data generated by 454 Life Sciences’ technology will be available to the scientific community. 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 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2005 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, unless required by law.
Contact: 454 Life Sciences Peter Dacey Vice President, Finance info@454.com (877) 890-GNOM Noonan Russo Jane Petrino Account Supervisor Jane.petrino@eurorscg.com (212) 845-4274
454 Life Sciences; CuraGen Corporation
CONTACT: Peter Dacey of 4 Life Sciences, Vice President, Finance,info@454.com, 1-877-890-GNOM; or Jane Petrino of Noonan Russo, AccountSupervisor, Jane.petrino@eurorscg.com, +1-212-845-4274
