The impact of "next generation DNA sequencing" cannot be overestimated. The technology has transformed the field of life science, contributing to dramatic expansion in our understanding of human health and disease and our understanding of biology and ecology.

The vast majority of the major next generation sequencing systems today are based on the concept of "sequencing by synthesis" (SBS) with sequential detection of nucleotide incorporation using an engineered DNA polymerase in a massively parallel manner (see figure).

In a recent review, published in Trends in Biotechnology, Mathias Uhlen (Human Protein Atlas) and Stephen Quake (Stanford, USA) describes the history and development of the SBS concept and how this technology has transformed the field of life science. This includes the open access Human Protein Atlas resource with 5 million web pages, in which external omics data generated by next generation sequencing has been integrated with "in-house" generated transcriptomics and antibody-based proteomics data to provide a comprehensive data resource for every human protein-coding gene.

Link to article

Contact person: Mathias Uhlen (email: mathias.uhlen@scilifelab.se)