NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Olink and researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have formed a new firm, called Olink Genomics, with the goal of commercializing technology for sample-preparation applications in the next-generation sequencing market, Olink said yesterday.
The new subsidiary of Olink intends to launch the Selector Technology, which researchers from Olink and Uppsala have developed for sequence-selective sample prep. Olink said that the technology would be rolled out as a service and as reagent kits.
The firm said in a statement that whole-genome sequencing using the newest generation of DNA sequencers from firms such as Roche/454, Illumina, Applied Biosystems, and Helicos “is not yet within reasonable cost. This has created a rapidly increasing demand for sample preparation techniques that enable selective enrichment of genomic regions, for example candidate regions that may contribute to genetic disease, and genes involved in cancer, for subsequent DNA sequencing.”
Olink noted that the acadmic co-founders of the new subsidiary contributed unique software to support probe development.