Complete Genomics and DNBSEQ™ Empowers Researchers to Prioritize Accuracy, Efficiency Alongside Cost.

As an introduction,I’m Radoje (“Rade”) Drmanac, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Complete Genomics. Founded in 2005 in Silicon Valley, Complete Genomics is a pioneer in massively parallel next-generation sequencing (NGS) and routine affordable human WGS. Our DNBSEQ™ technology is used globally by more than 2,600 users in 100 countries and regions with an installation base of more than 3,100 units.

Pioneering Genomic Research and the Birth of Complete Genomics

But before I can properly introduce Complete Genomics, I should start at the beginning.

Most people have heard of The Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project from 1990-2003 that mapped, identified and sequenced all the genes that make up a human genome.

But many of us were researching genomics long before the project began, dreaming up ways to create chromosome maps and expression sequence tags.

In fact, in the 1980s, I was one of the scientists immersing myself in genetic engineering at the Institute for Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering in Serbia, where I became focused on how to move DNA sequencing into its next generation.

Fast forward to 1987, when the US Department of Energy (DoE) was investigating how radiation impacted human health through genetic mutations, following the development of the atomic bomb.

With the understanding that their best bet to identify those mutations would be to sequence the whole genome in people exposed to radiation, the DoE began offering grants to scientists to study ways to improve technology for genome analysis, such as sequencing

It was a DoE grant that helped fund my research that resulted in my proposal of massively parallel sequencing (MPS), which was a faster, higher throughput and more efficient method for sequencing based on DNA microarrays using emulsion PCR. This work led me to join Argonne National Laboratory in the United States to develop sequencing by hybridization technology.

DNBSEQ™ Technology: Revolutionizing Next-Generation Sequencing

Later in 2005, my team invented the most efficient MPS using DNA nanoball arrays. Such MPS enabled new, exciting applications for sequencing, including barcoding cDNA in single cells and then using DNA nanoball arrays to monitor gene expression in tissue sections at the subcellular level.

That DNA nanoball is the basis of our DNBSEQ™ technology used in our products, the ultra-high throughput DNBSEQ-T7, high throughput DNBSEQ-G400, fastest mid throughput DNBSEQ-G99 and portable DNBSEQ-E25.

Our DNBSEQ™ platforms lets researchers prioritize quality even when cost drives their decision-making. They’re able to do more research for less money to understand the molecular causes of disease so they can develop more ways to prevent and treat disease.

Milestones in Complete Genomics’ Journey of Innovation

Since 2005, Complete Genomics has surpassed several industry-moving milestones, from offering a complete human genome sequencing service for $5,000 per genome (compared to $50k) in 2010, to lowering it again to $2,000 in 2011, then launching its CoolMPS platform in the U.S. in 2022.

In 2023, we announced the availability of our Standard MPS products in the United States, including a sub-$100 human genome and our ultra-high throughput sequencer DNBSEQ-T20x2, which was the recipient of a 2023 R&D 100 Award in the Analytical/Test category.

But what makes our DNBSEQ™ technology an industry game changer? It boils down to cost effectiveness, accuracy and flexibility for the user.

Moving Genomics Forward with Complete Sequencing Solutions

As our team at Complete Genomics continues to innovate sequencing, we’re excited about the important work our customers in academic, service/core labs and clinical research labs are doing with our products, including WGS, WES, targeted disease sequencing, metagenomic analysis, spatial analysis with STOmics technology, single cell analysis and epigenetic applications.