Pacific Biosciences introduces partner program for SMRT DNA sequencing system

“We have thought carefully about what it takes to successfully introduce a new generation of technology to the marketplace, and putting in place an entire ecosystem of complementary solutions has been one of our strategies from the beginning,” said Hugh Martin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Biosciences. “The overwhelming response from companies wanting to partner with us is extremely validating as we stand on the verge of introducing a breakthrough technology to redefine DNA sequencing. We look forward to continuing to champion collaboration in the industry.”

Pacific Biosciences has created an open and extensible system in order to encourage innovation across the industry. To support a whole product solution with the commercial launch of the SMRT system in the second half of 2010, the company has developed a formal partner program designed for companies providing consumables, automation systems, complementary instrumentation, services, and supporting software and hardware. The eleven initial members of the program are:

• Agilent Technologies, a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis, provider of the SureSelect Target Enrichment System
• Amazon Web Services, a global leader in cloud-based computing, provider of the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)
• BioTeam, a solutions architect with expertise in integrating high-performance computing and storage systems, cloud technologies, wiki-based data management systems and DNA sequencing platforms
• Caliper Life Sciences, an industry leader in tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, provider of the LabChip XT® fractionation size selection technology
• CLC bio, a global leader in bioinformatics, providing high-throughput sequencing analysis solutions such as CLC Genomics Workbench and CLC Genomics Server
• Fluidigm, the leading supplier of innovative systems based on integrated fluidic circuit technology, and provider of the Fluidigm Access Array™ System for targeted enrichment applications
• GenoLogics, a leading provider of informatics solutions for life sciences, which offers Geneus™, an adaptable and rapidly scalable next-gen sequencing LIMS and data management system for streamlining end-to-end sample and data tracking
• GenomeQuest, a leader in sequence data management (SDM), provider of the GenomeQuest SDM platform and cloud services
• Geospiza, an industry leader in cloud computing solutions for genetic analysis, which is focused on delivering best practices to the market through its GeneSifter™ Lab and Analysis products
• NuGEN Technologies, a leader in reagents for genomic sample preparation, provider of the Ovation® whole genome amplification, whole transcriptome amplification, and RNA-Seq kits
• RainDance Technologies, the leader in microdroplet-based solutions enabling single molecule and single cell analysis of molecular, biological and physiological events, provider of the RDT 1000 system and sequence enrichment kits

“This is a dynamic field, and we’re pleased to work with innovators like PacBio,” said Chris Grimley, Agilent’s Senior Director of Genomics Marketing. “We look forward to working together to develop new scientific applications that will benefit tremendously from the introduction of PacBio’s third-generation DNA sequencing technology and the efficiencies enabled by our targeted sequencing platform.”

Members of the partner program will receive access to information and development tools, APIs, protocols, and potential co-marketing opportunities depending on the specific terms of the partnership. In some cases, Pacific Biosciences will engage in co-development agreements to bring complementary solutions to market.

“Pacific Biosciences is changing the game with the real-time streaming of its sequencing data and the granularity in which it is delivered,” said Rob Arnold, President, Geospiza. “This revolution is an ideal match for a cloud-based computing service and we look forward to working with PacBio to meet the informatics needs associated with this new era of DNA sequencing technology.”