BGI says that it will deliver 50 whole human genome sequences a month.

BGI acquired 27 SOLiD 4 Systems from Life Technologies. The company expects to be able to sequence 50 human genomes a month.

The SOLiD System is a next-generation sequencing platform that features independent run lanes in the microfluidic FlowChip and multiplexing capability. The SOLiD 4 System provides 100 GB for the $6,000 and is extendable to 300 GB for the $3,000 with conversion to the SOLiD™ 4hq System.

More than 80% of the bases have quality values > 30, Life Technologies reports. Total Precision reagents improve coverage to enable the discovery of rare variants in difficult (GC/AT-rich) regions of the genome for fewer false negatives, it adds. It also supports barcoded paired-end sequencing that detects somatic mutations, novel splice variation, and fusion transcripts with less input material.

“The accuracy of the SOLiD 4 System helps ensure that scientists conducting genomic medicine studies can unearth those hard-to-find mutations that may drive specific diseases,” says Mark Gardner, head of product management for the genetic systems division of Life Technologies.

“We can secure sequence data for a complete whole human genome on 30x coverage that includes 100 gigabases of mapped data at an accuracy of 99.9%,” adds Li, Jingxiang, vp of genomics operations for BGI. “Our partners can rely on the data and information to achieve their research goals.”

BGI has established its own technical platforms based on large-scale genome sequencing, efficient bioinformatics analyses, and innovative genetic healthcare initiatives. Its accomplishments include sequencing 1% of the human genome for the International Human Genome Project, contributing 10% to the International Human HapMap Project, carrying out research to combat SARS, and completely sequencing the rice genome, the silkworm genome, and, most recently, the first Asian diploid genome.

Life Technologies was created by the $6.7 billion combination of Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems and manufactures both in vitro diagnostic products and research use only-labeled products.

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