So, the results are starting to come out about the new PE 3700 supposed high-throughput sequencer, which is what Celera is depending upon. "Scientists doubt speedy gene-reading machine." A summary of what is being published in Friday's Science by researchers James Mullikin and Amanda McMurray of the The Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England. Thanks for the URL Mike!
"They found that the machine had shortcomings. Even though it works more quickly, it reads relatively short sequences of DNA. So older machines that cost half as much are producing the same amount of data per dollar, the researchers said.
The short length of sequences is a problem in itself because scientists find it easier to link sequences that have long ''read lengths.'' Critics have said Venter's technology could yield gaps in the DNA map.
Mullikin and McMurray said other systems using capillary technology have recorded longer read lengths that could be applied to Venter's machine.
The newer machine also is limited to working with one commercially available chemical solution, but the researchers said other solutions will be needed to confirm ambiguous data."
abcnews.go.com
Guess this machine ain't what it was promised to be. I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop since PKN announced this vaporware last spring and set up Celera as a vapor company amongst great promises and hype. I also posted in January that this machine was only good for reading short lengths of sequences. The shotgun type of sequencing that Celera is doing works better with long read lengths. The other machines that are eluded to in the article are the MegaBace 96 capillary sequencers that beat the PE 3700 to market by over two years, and which are the mainstay of the INCY sequencing effort. For those who don't know, the Sanger Centre in Cambridge is one of the main centers for the human genome project and one of the biggest sequencing centers in the world.
How does this effect INCY??? Well it is widely believed that INCY's share price has been suffering because of all the competition that has been arising of late, particularly Celera and the ramp up of the public Human Genome Project. Well, if these scientists at the premiere Human Genome Project sequencing center are right, Celera will not be able to keep their promises and projections for what they can accomplish at the costs and times projected. I would be suspect of the recent claims for the government based project to meet their recent claims too. INCY on the other hand uses tried and true technology that is known to be effective and economical and consistently has surpassed the sequencing goals which they have publically made.
I definitely want to see this full article from Science if anyone comes up with the URL or could fax it to me I would appreciate it.
Rman
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