Helicos BioSciences (NASDAQ: HLCS), a life science company focused on innovative genetic analysis technologies, today announced its first order for the Helicos™ Genetic Analysis System. The system consists of the HeliScope™ Single Molecule Sequencer, the HeliScope™ Analysis Engine, and the HeliScope™ Sample Loader, all designed for production-level genetic analysis. Central to the platform is the company’s proprietary sequencing-by-synthesis approach called True Single Molecule Sequencing (tSMS)TM.
“This first order is an important milestone for both the company and for the scientific community,” said Steve Lombardi, Helicos BioSciences’ president and COO. “In just three years, the talented and dedicated Helicos team has delivered on the promise of single molecule sequencing, which has been a goal of the scientific community since Watson and Crick’s discovery of DNA.”
Helicos’ proprietary tSMS™ technology directly sequences single molecules of DNA or RNA, a process that significantly increases the speed of sequencing, while also decreasing the cost. The company’s sequencing-by-synthesis approach differs from current methods of sequencing DNA as it analyzes individual molecules of DNA directly as opposed to analyzing a large number of copies of the molecule produced through complex sample preparation techniques. In turn, Helicos’ technology provides the workflow that is based on a simple, cost effective sample preparation process.
The HeliScope Single Molecule Sequencer is able to image billions of bases in a single run. In addition, the HeliScope Analysis Engine provides real-time image processing which results in continuous processing of samples meeting the requirements of large, complex experiments envisioned by the research community.
“We are extremely pleased that our first customer, skilled in a wide variety of genetic analysis applications, shares our vision of enabling researchers with the tools to accelerate our knowledge of the genome and ultimately usher in the era of personalized medicine,” said Chip Leveille, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Helicos BioSciences. “Helicos’ ability to make true direct DNA measurements enables new experimentation that is fundamental to the sound science of the genome for an understanding of disease and treatment.”
About Helicos BioSciences
Helicos BioSciences is a life science company focused on innovative genetic analysis technologies for the research, drug discovery, and diagnostic markets. Helicos’ proprietary True Single Molecule Sequencing, tSMSTM, technology allows direct measurement of billions of strands of DNA enabling scientists to perform experiments and ask questions never before possible