NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Genomics firm Centrillion Biosciences this month received a two-year Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a DNA barcode array for the phased sequencing of whole genomes.
The award, the company stated in the grant's abstract, will be used to optimize the fabrication of DNA chips to reduce their feature size and pitch; reverse the orientation of oligonucleotide primers to make their 3' ends free for extension; and increase the length and accuracy of the oligosynthesis process.
Centrillion further aims to develop an approach for combing chromosomal DNA on different chip surfaces, and to generate sequencing libraries from immobilized DNA and sequence them on an Illumina HiSeq system.
The company added that it also intends to sequence the barcodes, which provide a scaffold for assembling short reads.
The grant began on April 7 and is worth $350,000 in its first year.