Ultima Genomics, Inc. proposes to develop a novel high-throughput sequencing technology platform that will reduce cost ($/Gbase) substantially compared with state-of-the-art commercial technologies. The new technology to be developed in the SBIR project will particularly benefit DNA sequencing 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 a virtuous circle to achieve much lower cost. In Phase 1 of the FastTrack project, the company will integrate these separate innovations into an alpha prototype and prove the feasibility of the platform by performing shotgun sequencing of human genome reference samples. In Phase 2, the company will further develop the core platform technology; build a beta instrument that achieves highly competitive specifications for accuracy, read length, throughput, time to answer, and cost; and validate performance rigorously using multiple reference samples. By dramatically reducing sequencing cost, Ultima Genomics' 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.
The proposed project will develop new instrumentation and methodologies 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.
