Genia Technologies in consortium with Columbia University and Harvard Medical School, has secured a three-year $5.25m grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop Genia's nanopore-based DNA sequencing platform.
The proceeds will be used in collaboration with investigators at Columbia and Harvard for the development of a novel integrated miniaturized system for real-time single molecule electronic DNA sequencing.
The recent grant is the largest of NHGRI's latest $17m initiative intended for eight research teams to support development of innovative technologies with the potential to reduce the cost of DNA sequencing.
Five of the eight projects, focus on methods and technology related to nanopore-based sequencing.
Genia CEO Stefan Roever said, "Our versatile nanopore-based platform, which combines proprietary integrated circuits and the NanoTag chemistry, is designed to move sequencing into the clinic by enabling real-time detection with limited sample preparation and no amplification to produce faster and more accurate results."
The NanoTag sequencing technology combines Genia's standard complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit, Columbia's Tag-based sequencing chemistry and Harvard's novel nanopore protein constructs.
