GATC is the first sequencing company worldwide to offer whole human genome sequencing to industry and academia and aims to deliver, in ten years, a quality dataset for euro500
DNA sequencing and bioinformatics specialist GATC Biotech has announced its launch of a human genome sequencing service.
GATC hopes to boost the move towards personalised medicine by sequencing up to 100 genomes by the end of 2010.
It says it will meet this ambitious target by forming collaborative partnerships with leading world-class research institutes and pharmaceutical, pharmacogenomics and diagnostics companies.
The announcement, made at a press conference at Bio-Europe 2007, comes at a time when the US FDA has just recommended that clinicians obtain patients' genetic profiles before prescribing warfarin.
The FDA is promoting personalised medicine as part of its Critical Path Initiative to encourage innovation in drug development.
Improved access to genomic data could transform the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, Christof von Kalle from the German National Center for Tumour Diseases, told the press conference.
"By sequencing and comparing genomes obtained before and after the diagnosis of cancer, researchers can gain a better understanding of the genetic basis of cancer, particularly the role of the previously understudied non-coding regions".
"There is growing evidence implicating these areas, which comprise 98.5% of the human genome, in the onset and control of cancer".
Peter Pohl, CEO of GATC, explained that his company will build the capacity and expertise to initiate and deliver this visionary, but tough, project.
GATC has nearly two decades of DNA sequencing expertise, having sequenced close to 100 microbial genomes since 1990, and, uniquely in Europe, uses all four leading high throughput sequencing technologies.
The first human genome sequenced cost $3 billion; this cost has now fallen to about $5 million.
GATC plans to bring down the cost of human genome sequencing further and to provide a clearer picture of the human genome by using next-generation sequencing and high-end bioinformatic technologies.
