The Branford DNA-sequencing unit of Swiss biotech Roche and computer giant IBM Corp. announced Thursday their collaboration on technology by reading DNA sequences faster and more efficiently will quickly open the door for better treatments for diseases and ailments.
Roche’s 454 Life Sciences division is using technology developed by IBM Research to decode molecules that form the genetic blueprint for all life by threading them through a nanopore one million times smaller than the dotted “i” in this sentence that is secured to a silicon chip.
Researchers worldwide are racing to unlock genetic sequences to understand the pathology of diseases, such as cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, and other ailments in order to improve diagnoses and to devise personalized health treatments.
“Sequencing is an increasingly critical tool for personalized healthcare,” said Manfred Baier, head of Swiss-based Roche Applied Science.
Baier said applying IBM’s technology to the sequencing process “will make low-cost whole genome sequencing and its benefits available to the marketplace faster than previously thought possible.”
Both companies say they are confident 454 Life will be the first to move its next-generation sequencing technology from the laboratory to the clinic.
“The challenge of all nanopore-based sequencing technologies is to slow and control the motion of the DNA through the nanopore,” said Ajay Royyuru, senior manager of the computational biology department at IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. “We are developing the technology to achieve this so that the reader can accurately decode the DNA sequence.”
Under the pact, Roche will fund continued development of the technology at IBM and provide additional resources and expertise through collaboration with Roche’s sequencing subsidiary, 454 Life Sciences. Roche will develop and market all products based on the technology.
