Oxford Nanopore’s new generation sequencing system uses protein nanopores coupled with a processive enzyme. The system is designed for direct electrical identification of DNA bases at the single-molecule level, without the need for fluorescent labels. Currently in development, this technology has the potential to provide substantial advantages over current sequencing approaches, not only in speed and cost but also in simplicity and versatility of overall workflow, the news release said.

January 12, 2009: Using new technologies that make it easier to sequence the human genome — one that researchers say beats microarray technology — scientists at the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a series of genes that become fused when their chromosomes trade places with each other. These recurrent gene fusions are thought to be the driving mechanism that causes certain cancers to develop.