By Julia Karow
This article, originally published Jan. 13, has been updated with additional information from DNA Vision.
DNAVision this year plans to start offering a human whole-genome sequencing service for €7,500 ($10,000) per genome, the company said last week. It has also purchased two SOLiD 4 and two 5500xl SOLiD instruments from Life Technologies.
The four new SOLiD machines, which will operate in DNAVision's facility in Brussels, will add to the company's existing fleet of two Illumina HiSeq 2000 systems and one Roche 454 GS FLX.
Last spring, the company said that it had purchased an Illumina HiScanSQ (IS 5/18/2010), but due to delays of that instrument's delivery, it received a second HiSeq 2000 instead, according to CEO Jean-Pol Detiffe.
While the SOLiD 4 instruments have already arrived and are curently being installed, the company expects the 5500xl SOLiDs to arrive "later," Detiffe said.
THe company plans to use the SOLiD instruments initially for human whole-genome sequencing projects for pharmaceutical and medical research customers.
DNAVision claims to have the largest DNA sequencing capacity among private service providers in Europe at the moment, and said it is the only such firm that is CLIA, GLP, and GMP certified, CAP accredited, and ISO17025 accredited.
Detiffe predicted that the firm's €7,500 whole-genome sequencing service will "replace a large part of exome sequencing projects" this year.
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