University of Otago High Throughput DNA Sequencing Unit
director Dr Jo-Ann Stanton with the unit's newly installed
pint-sized DNA sequencing machine. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
It might look like a bread maker or computer printer, but
the benchtop DNA sequencing machine just installed at the
University of Otago has Dr Jo-Ann Stanton excited.
The machine would allow the university's High Throughput DNA
Sequencing Unit to do the small-scale projects sought by most
New Zealand researchers, Dr Stanton, the unit director, said.
Gene sequencing allows scientists to examine the genetic
instructions which exist in all humans, animals, plants and
bacteria.
Sequencing is now used routinely in many fields of research
including human health and disease, forensics, and
agricultural and environmental genomics.
Otago's unit was set up about three years ago and used a
government grant to buy a $1 million Roche sequencing machine
manufactured in the United States.
It is about the size of an office filing cabinet.
Dr Stanton said as soon as she saw the company was bringing
out a smaller version, she knew it would be perfect for New
Zealand.
"The big machine can run up to 16 projects at a time, but we
have seen a growing demand for small-scale sequencing
projects which do not require a full instrument run but which
are too large for traditional sequencing methods.
Having the GS Junior means we can do a single project at a
time, up to one each week if required."
That would pay dividends for researchers, who would be able
to get their results within two weeks rather than having to
wait until enough projects had amassed to justify running the
large machine, she said.
The smaller machine also has another bonus.
It has a smaller price tag of about $NZ175,000.
Otago was the first organisation in the world to order one of
the machines, which have only just started to come the
production line, Dr Stanton said.
"At the time ours was being installed about three weeks ago
there were only about 20 installed anywhere in the world."
The Otago unit runs as a business enterprise, carrying out
work for academic and private clients from throughout New
Zealand and Australia.
Dr Stanton said staff were talking to potential clients in
many other parts of the world too, including the US, Japan,
Turkey and several South American countries.
As gene-sequencing technology rapidly improved and became
more affordable, many more researchers would use
gene-sequencing data in their work, Dr Stanton predicted.
"This really is a revolutionary field. It's very exciting."
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