SAIC-Frederick will assess the NimbleGen SeqCap EZ and Genome Sequencer FLX system.
NCI contractor SAIC-Frederick and Roche Applied Science entered into a research collaboration to evaluate the latter’s technologies for sequencing the genomes of cancer research samples. Roche claims the project could lead to faster, more streamlined approaches to homing in on cancer-related genetic variants in genomic regions flagged by genome-wide association studies.
Under the terms of the collaboration, SAIC-Frederick’s core genotyping facility will assess the ability of Roche NimbleGen’s solution-based sequence capture technology, SeqCap EZ System, to capture specific regions of the genome of a cancer research sample. This captured DNA will then be sequenced on the ultrahigh-throughput Genome Sequencer FLX System.
“Our ability to understand the impact of particular regions of the human genome with cancer phenotypes is rapidly advancing with the advent of next-generation sequencing technologies,” according to Joseph Boland, dedicated scientific operations manager at the SAIC-Frederick’s core genotyping facility. “Our intent is to implement Roche NimbleGen’s solution-based sequence capture technology, SeqCap EZ, to rapidly advance our next-generation sequencing projects and in turn increase our knowledge of cancer genetics.”
The deal has been established under the NCI’s Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative, which SAIC-Frederick is facilitating for the U.S. government. SAIC-Frederick is a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications International.