Reflecting a commitment to delivering high-quality genomics services, the commercial services division of Genome Therapeutics Corp, GenomeVision Services, has received a $1.6 million grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) for the advanced development of genomic technologies. As the only commercial sequencing center in the federally-funded Human Genome Project and a major participant in the Rat Genome Project, GenomeVision Services has continually worked to advance its own technologies and practices in order to help streamline critical parts of the genome sequencing process, such as sample preparation and DNA analysis.

"With the opportunity to participate in the Human Genome Project came the great responsibility to leverage our genomics expertise to improve the overall sequencing process," said Lynn Doucette-Stamm, Vice President and General Manager, GenomeVision Services. "This grant illustrates the dedication GenomeVision Services has demonstrated to expanding the public knowledge base in genome sequencing, especially in the areas of overall efficiency and cost effectiveness."

Dr. Doucette-Stamm added, "With private industry representing the fastest growing segment of our business, the developments made possible by this grant allow us to continue to deliver innovative sequencing services to support our customers' research and product lines."

The goal of this two-year grant, which is separate from previous awards from the NHGRI, is to achieve a five to ten-fold reduction in the sequencing costs for large-scale genomic sequencing projects. Specifically, GenomeVision Services is working to reduce the minimum amount of DNA needed, from microliters to nanoliters, for standard instruments to perform analysis using microtiter plates. In addition to plates that use smaller sample amounts, GenomeVision Services is also developing plates that allow the removal of contaminants while still enabling the retrieval of the DNA in the sample for additional analysis. Genome Therapeutics retains all rights to the microtiter plates, which are available for licensing.