There's an article on Celera in MIT's Technology Review (March '99). Says 257 new 3700-model machines "hum in orderly rows." (Implies that they are at least plugged in. <G>) Claims their machines can decode in one day the same quantity of DNA as all the labs funded by the Human Genome Project decoded last year.
Some skepticism in the report as to whether they will be able to re-assemble their 70-million pieces into one whole, and what the consequences of the many small gaps will be.
Says that Celera will keep the SNP's for itself.
On a different topic, any comments by anyone on this:
Headline: CuraGen Awarded U.S. Patent Covering Open System of Gene
Expression
Technology
======================================================================
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- CuraGen Corporation
(NASDAQ:CRGN), an integrated genomics-based discovery company, announced
today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has granted
CuraGen a patent which covers the Company's open architecture system of gene
expression technology. The patent, titled "Method and Apparatus for
Identifying, Classifying, or Quantifying DNA Sequences in a Sample without
Sequencing," issued as U.S. Patent No. 5,871,697 and covers CuraGen's
GeneCalling(R) technology process. GeneCalling identifies both known and
unknown differentially expressed genes, and can be used to detect genes in
humans, animals, plants, and pathogens.
The two most accepted methods of analyzing gene expression are open
systems and closed systems or "chip technologies." Closed systems compare
gene expression to known gene sequences that are placed on a specific chip.
CuraGen's patented GeneCalling technology, a type of open system, provides
greater flexibility by analyzing the differences in gene expression and
comparing the results to sequence databases, thereby identifying both known
and novel genes.
"Identifying the differences in the amount of gene activity, or gene
expression, plays an essential role in genomics-based drug discovery and
development. This technology, second only to gene sequencing in its
wide-spread use in genomics, is used to discover protein drugs, drug
targets,
and to understand why certain drugs fail and others do not," stated Jonathan
M. Rothberg, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of CuraGen
Corporation. "This patent covers the use of GeneCalling to directly
identify,
by database lookup, differentially expressed genes. To date, GeneCalling
has
been the most functional, reliable, and convenient choice for gene
expression
studies and this patent further emphasizes its proprietary position in the
industry." Collaborators currently benefiting from CuraGen's patented
GeneCalling process include Biogen, Genentech, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and Glaxo
Wellcome.
"GeneCalling is the first in a series of processes, which includes both
SeqCalling(TM) and PathCalling(TM), and is an integral step in identifying
underlying disease-related genes. When these processes are combined, they
comprise CuraGen's proprietary suite of integrated technologies," commented
George A. Xixis, CuraGen's Intellectual Property Counsel. CuraGen's
technology suite is controlled by GeneScape(R), the Company's proprietary
bioinformatics system, which includes a web-based interface for convenient
internet access.
CuraGen Corporation is revolutionizing the discovery and development of
life science products through the systematic application of genomics.
CuraGen's fully-integrated genomics technologies, processes, and information
systems are designed to rapidly generate comprehensive information about
gene
expression, biological pathways, and potential products that affect these
pathways, each on a scale not previously undertaken. CuraGen's research
collaborators include Biogen, Genentech, Pioneer Hi-Bred, and Glaxo
Wellcome.
The Company employs over 300 people and is headquartered in New Haven, CT,
with additional facilities in Branford, CT, and Alachua, FL. Additional
Company information is available at www.curagen.com
-----
Peter |
