New System Expands Comprehensive Services Repertoire

Agencourt Bioscience Corporation announced that its Genomic Services group has purchased an Illumina Genome Analyser II (GAII) for its next-generation sequencing suite.

With installed 454 Life Sciences Genome Sequencer FLX and Applied Biosystems SOLiD instruments used in production, the addition of the GAII makes Agencourt the first commercial DNA sequencing service provider worldwide with comprehensive next-generation services.

As Julie Moore, Agencourt Strategic Marketing Director, explained: “Recognising that there is great utility in each technology has been important in responding to the changing requirements of our customers. It’s exciting to support scientists who want to leverage DNA sequencing in their research and adding the new capabilities of the Illumina GAII to our repertoire builds on that excitement.” The comprehensive line-up of next-generation sequencing instruments allows Agencourt to address a range of sample and project types for both pharmaceutical and academic researchers. Low library construction input requirements and a variety of kitted applications make the Illumina platform well suited for many research projects. Agencourt recently upgraded to version 3 SOLiD instruments, and the company’s experience with that platform surpasses that of any sequence provider. The long reads provided by the 454 Life Sciences GS FLX systems and Titanium reagents have utility in a variety of scientific applications and are particularly valuable for de novo sequencing projects.