Life Technologies Makes DNA Sequencing More Accessible to Laboratories of All Sizes Around the World

New Innovations Lower Costs and Simplify Workflows

Ion Torrent 316 semiconductor sequencing chip (Photo: Business Wire)

CARLSBAD, Calif.--()--Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced a series of new product innovations across the company’s DNA sequencing portfolio. To date, most sequencing technologies have primarily addressed the needs of researchers in the highest throughput laboratories, limiting widespread accessibility of these powerful next-generation sequencing technologies. As a pioneer of DNA sequencing, Life Technologies continues to enable researchers in any size laboratory to access applications that meet their specific technical and financial research requirements. As a result of these innovations, researchers now have greater flexibility from their sequencing platforms, a more simplified sample preparation, increased data throughput and expedited data analysis.

“These advances underscore our commitment to bringing sequencing to the masses at a cost and scale that directly addresses the technical needs and financial hurdles facing the research community,” said Gregory T. Lucier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Life Technologies. “By making DNA sequencing economically accessible to labs of all sizes, we are enabling novel research, not feasible using other technologies, in applied markets including synthetic biology, molecular medicine and food safety."

Advances in the Life Technologies portfolio include:

Sequencing Systems

  • SOLiD FlowChip™ allows scientists to run as few as one lane containing up to 96 samples or as many as twelve lanes for more than 1,000 samples, while maintaining the same overall cost per run. As a result, scientists can process samples economically, as a pay-as-you-go reagent model.
  • Ion 316 Semiconductor Sequencing Chip offers 100Mb of data throughput, ten times the performance of the original Ion 314 chip. The Ion 316 chip does not require an upgrade to another sequencer because, unlike other sequencing platforms, the actual sequencing mechanism in Ion Torrent technology is not in the sequencing instrument but in the chip, which directly senses chemicals. The Ion 316 will be available to early access customers in the first quarter of 2011.

Sample Preparation

  • Library Builder™ System is a bench-top device that automates the multi-step library construction process associated with DNA sequencing. The system is designed for both the 5500 SOLiD™ Series and the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM™), and improves data reproducibility while saving researchers significant time in the lab.
  • DNA and RNA Library Preparation Kits optimized for the Ion Torrent PGM, are designed to simplify and automate sample preparation. The new kits enable researchers with higher throughput needs to move from DNA or RNA sample extraction to library completion in just two hours using a single tube.

Data Analysis

  • LifeScope Genomic Analysis SoftwareTM is a new platform that enables the accurate and rapid analysis of billions of next-generation sequencing reads and combines the ease-of-use of an intuitive graphical interface with performance-tuned algorithms that cut sequence mapping times in half. It features pushbutton workflows for the mapping and detection of genomic variation, fully supports the Exact Call Chemistry Module of the 5500 Series SOLiD sequencers and offers enhanced and secure project management capabilities. Future releases in early 2011 will support analysis of data from the Ion Torrent PGM and other instrument platforms.

About Life Technologies Next-Generation Sequencing

Life Technologies is the world’s leading provider of sequencing technologies, offering the industry’s gold standard capillary electrophoresis technology on the 3500 CE and 3500Dx Series Genetic Analyzers, next-generation sequencing technology on the SOLiD System, and the Ion Torrent semiconductor based sequencing technology on the recently launched Ion Torrent PGM.

The 3500, 5500 Series SOLiD Sequencers and the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) are for research use only and are not intended for animal or human therapeutic or diagnostic use.

About Life Technologies (www.lifetechnologies.com)

Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology tools company dedicated to improving the human condition. Our systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific exploration, driving to discoveries and developments that make life even better. Life Technologies customers do their work across the biological spectrum, working to advance basic and translational research, molecular medicine, forensic testing, synthetic biology and food safety and animal health. Life Technologies had sales of $3.3 billion in 2009, employs approximately 9,000 people, has a presence in approximately 160 countries, and possesses a rapidly growing intellectual property estate of approximately 3,900 patents and exclusive licenses. Life Technologies was created by the combination of Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc., and manufactures both in-vitro diagnostic products and research use only-labeled products. For more information on how we are making a difference, please visit our websites: http://www.lifetechnologies.com and www.iontorrent.com.

Life Technologies’ Safe Harbor Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements about Life Technologies’ anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies’ plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” “expect” and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions (“will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6568780&lang=en

Contacts

Life Technologies Corporation
Patty Zamora, 760-476-7818
patty.zamora@lifetech.com

Release Summary

Life Tech announces new product innovations to enable researchers to have greater flexibility, a more simplified sample prep, increased throughput & fast data analysis.

Contacts

Life Technologies Corporation
Patty Zamora, 760-476-7818
patty.zamora@lifetech.com