Solexa reports the first commercial shipments of the Solexa Genome Analysis System, the company's next-generation platform for DNA sequencing, expression profiling and small RNA analysis
The instrument shipments commenced in the second quarter and are the first in a series of anticipated shipments as part of Solexa's Early Access programme, which is expected to continue through summer 2006.
"Solexa's technology is bringing genome sequencing to a new stage of development," said Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"Solexa's system promises to address economically and rapidly a broad range of genetic analysis applications, and we are excited to capitalise on that potential".
"The expected throughput, base-calling accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of the Solexa Genome Analysis System will allow us to tackle large-scale projects of several types, including whole human genome resequencing to compare cancerous and normal genomes," said Elaine Mardis, co-director of the Genome Sequencing Center (GSC) at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.
"We are delighted to work with this system in our facility and to build on the relationship we have with Solexa and its scientists".
The Early Access programme follows a period of collaboration during which scientists from a number of leading institutes, including the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, the Broad Institute and the GSC, processed samples and analysed data from the system.
"Our ability to meet the aggressive timetable we set for ourselves marks a major achievement for Solexa, and is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our staff," said John West, Solexa's chief executive officer.
"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with some of the world's leading genome institutes in the first phase of our Early Access programme.
"We look forward to building on our existing relationships with the personnel at these and other leading institutes to refine the protocols and applications of the Solexa Genome Analysis System and to advance the capabilities of the system to transform genetic analysis."
