Singapore, Feb 22, 2008: US-headquartered VisiGen Biotechnologies has received a US patent for its DNA sequencing technology. Its patent application titled “Methods for Real-time Single Molecule Sequence Determination” has also received European and Australian patents.

 

VisiGen's DNA sequencing machines will enable low cost comprehensive genome analysis such as a one day, $1,000 human genome. VisiGen's nanosequencing machines are designed to monitor massively parallel arrays to produce a DNA sequencing platform that is capable of collecting DNA sequence data at the rate of 50 million bases per second

or greater. VisiGen plans to offer a DNA sequencing service in late 2009 and to sell DNA sequencing machines and reagents 18 to 24 months later.

 

VisiGen has bioengineered polymerases and nucleotides to act together as direct molecular sensors of DNA sequence information during DNA replication. VisiGen's novel platform uses single-molecule DNA detection, fluorescent molecule chemistry, computational biochemistry, and biomolecule engineering and purification. VisiGen's method tags the terminal phosphate of a nucleotide with a fluorophore that is naturally released during nucleotide insertion into the growing DNA strand, thereby enabling a non-cyclical approach to DNA sequencing.