SeqLL: Helicos van Winkle

Helicos was the first company to launch a single molecule DNA sequencing system. They never sold many systems (my estimate is fewer than 20), but some of those sites really loved their machines. One beauty of the system was a very simple sample prep: fragment your DNA, add terminal transferase and dATP and the sample was ready-to-hybridize.  Helicos demonstrated a number of interesting applications, such as direct loading of RNA onto the system and performing capture on the flowcell.  But with anemic demand and mounting losses, the company faded, finallyfiling for bankruptcy in November 2012.  One true believer bought up key IP and hardware and kept the torch burning as SeqLL, headquartered just down the road from me in Woburn, Massachusetts (best known for the book and movieA Civil Action, but also thebirthplace of thermodynamicist Count Rumford ).  Now SeqLL is re-launching the technology in a new box, or is it similar technology? That's the big question, poorly addressed by their beta test announcement or their website, and that website seems to be positioning the new SeqLL box against the state of competing sequencing technologies of back when Helicos folded.Read more »

Source: Omics! Omics! - October 22, 2016 Category: Bioinformatics Authors: Keith Robison Source Type: blogs