Nih Awards $2.8 Million To Jingyue Ju To Develop New Dna Sequencing Technologies
$2.8 Million in NIH Grants to Accelerate the Development of New DNA Sequencing Technologies Awarded to Columbia University Medical Center
NEW YORK – The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded more than $15 million in grants to support development of innovative technologies with the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of DNA sequencing so that an individual’s genome can be sequenced as a routine part of medical research and health care. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center received $2.8 million from this initiative to develop novel molecular engineering approaches to decipher the genome on a chip.
The Columbia research team, led by Jingyue Ju, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering & head of DNA sequencing and chemical biology at the Columbia Genome Center, aims to further develop the sequencing by synthesis platforms using nucleotide reversible terminators.
“Our previous research generously supported by NHGRI has established the feasibility of using fluorescent nucleotide reversible terminators to sequence DNA immobilized on a chip," said Dr. Ju. "We have also shown that the nucleotide reversible terminator approach can overcome the difficulties in deciphering repetitive regions of DNA templates in pyrosequencing. The continued NIH support will allow us to further improve the sequencing chemistry and the associated sample preparation methods so that they can be quickly implemented to address cutting edge biomedical research projects."
It currently costs around $10 million to sequence three billion base pairs – the amount of DNA found in the human genome. NHGRI’s near-term goal is to lower the cost of sequencing a mammalian-sized genome to $100,000, allowing researchers to sequence the genomes of hundreds or even thousands of people as part of studies to identify genes that contribute to common, complex diseases. Ultimately, NHGRI’s vision is to cut the cost of whole-genome sequencing to $1,000 or less, which will enable the sequencing of individual genomes as part of routine medical care.
With more than six years of vigorous research, Dr. Ju’s laboratory, in collaboration with Nicholas Turro, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Columbia University, have published 12 research articles, including six papers published in the scientific journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), firmly establishing the feasibility of using novel fluorescent nucleotides for DNA sequencing on a chip, which is a key step to advance the field of DNA sequencing by synthesis through fluorescence imaging or by single molecule detection.
The general strategy to rationally design cleavable fluorescent nucleotide reversible terminators for DNA sequencing by synthesis outlined in these publications from Columbia University is the basis for the newly developed next generation DNA sequencer, that has the potential to realize the goals of personalized medicine based on an individual’s genetic profile. The ability to sequence an individual genome cost-effectively could enable health care professionals to tailor diagnosis, treatment and prevention to each person’s unique genetic profile, which will revolutionize medicine and healthcare.
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