Novel sequencing by synthesis chemistry to further reduce the cost of nucleic acid sequencing

PROJECT SUMMARY Ultima Genomics, Inc. proposes to develop a novel sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) chemistry that will further leverage the strengths of the companyandapos;s high-throughput sequencing system. The new technology will further reduce cost compared with state-of-the-art commercial technologies and will particularly benefit DNAsequencing applications that are cost constrained, such as sequencing large populations, generating methylation and transcriptome profiles for millions of single cells, and enabling liquid biopsy applications. Target customers include genome centers, CROs, research labs, and clinical labs. The company is pioneering a series of inter-related innovations that mutually reinforce one another in avirtuous circle to achieve much lower cost. The first generation of this platform – which is currently underdevelopment and will soon be seeded to select beta test sites – substantially advances the state of the art, but does not exploit the full potential of the innovations. In the proposed Direct to Phase 2 project, the company will design, develop, and optimize a new chemistry that unlocks the full potential of the platform; port the new chemistry to the existing hardware platform while maintaining highly competitive specifications for accuracy, read length, and time to answer; demonstrate the throughput improvements that will further lower overall costs; andrigorously validate performance across these and other metrics. By dramatically reducing sequencing cost, Ultima Genomicsandapos; technology will directly impact a wide range of scientific capabilities with direct relevance for public health, including characterization of tumors, detection of early stage cancers through blood test, and personalized/precision medicine.PROJECT NARRATIVE The proposed project will develop a new sequencing chemistry that will substantially reduce the cost to perform genome-scale sequencing. This cost reduction will accelerate a diverse range of biomedical research efforts that aim to understand the genetic factors that play a role in human disease and to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics. It will also make both existing and new sequencing-based diagnostic tests more affordable, so they can become routine constituents of standards of care.