Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Expands its Fleet of SOLiD™ Systems from Applied Biosystems

Scientists from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard will use ultra-high throughput genomic analysis systems from Applied Biosystems Inc. to further conduct comprehensive analyses of the genetic changes that characterize cancer in humans.

Applied Biosystems announced that it will add five new SOLiD™ Systems to the Broad Institute’s existing base of genomics analysis technologies. With a total of eight SOLiD Systems, scientists from the Broad Institute plan to use these DNA sequencing platforms to expand their studies of the genetic underpinnings of cancer and other complex human diseases.

Researchers at the Broad Institute are using the SOLiD System for large-scale discovery of genetic variation in human genome samples. The primary goal of this research is to generate comprehensive catalogues of genomic abnormalities in tumors from many different cancer types that are of clinical and societal importance across the globe, accelerating research into the causes and control of cancer.

Genomic analysis platforms capable of ultra-high throughput are becoming established as the standard for the study of complex genomes because as the technologies mature, the cost of analysis continues to decrease. In its work with its existing SOLiD Systems, the Broad Institute has completed sequencing experiments with yields of up to 13.4 billion bases per run: more than four times the number of bases that comprise an entire human genome.

“The Broad Institute recognizes that Applied Biosystems is a leader in DNA sequencing and has extensive knowledge of developing and applying new technologies that advance genomics research,” said Robert Nicol, director of sequencing operations at the Broad Institute. “We are looking forward to working with them to further our knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of cancer.”

Dr. Chad Nusbaum, co-director of Broad’s genome sequencing and analysis program added, “The SOLiD System technology has scaled significantly since its commercial availability just one year ago. We are excited to further test SOLiD’s accuracy rate and throughput capabilities on these important cancer genome projects.”