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Mountain View, CA (OBBeC) - Complete Genomics, a third-generation human genome sequencing company, has announced its launch as the world's first provider of large-scale human genome sequencing services.

The company is building, what it claims to be, the world's largest commercial human genome sequencing centre.

Starting next spring the company will be offering a complete human genome sequencing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as other medical researchers that were previously priced out of the market. By offering a sequencing service instead of following the traditional instrument sales model, Complete Genomics is relieving its customers of operational, computational and capital purchase burdens, allowing them to focus their resources on scientific discovery.

"We will be the first company to sequence complete human genomes for less than $1,000 in material costs," said Dr. Clifford Reid, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Complete Genomics. "This breakthrough materials cost, combined with our low per-genome instrument, labour and overhead costs, will allow us to offer complete human genomes for just $5,000 in Q2 2009."

"This $5,000 price point, combined with the scale of our sequencing centre, will dramatically increase the availability and affordability of human genome sequencing. For the first time, our customers can conduct systematic studies of the genetic basis of disease and drug response. Our sequencing services will be one of the core enablers of the impending revolution in personalized medicine," Reid added.

"Many chronic and life-threatening human diseases have a genetic basis, and Complete Genomics' sequencing service will allow medical researchers to study disease pathways comprehensively and cost-effectively in a large number of individuals. The ability to compare a significant number of genomes of people with a disease against those without the disease is central to enabling drug discovery and the development of new diagnostics," added Dr. George M. Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Computational Genetics and member of Complete Genomics' Scientific Advisory Board.

According to the announcement, after the company launches its third-generation human DNA sequencing service in Q2 2009, it plans to sequence 1,000 genomes in the same year. The company will then sequence 20,000 genomes in 2010.

The company also, in conjunction with partners, intends to open additional genome sequencing centres across the U.S. and abroad. Over the next five years, the company projects that 10 such centres will be able to sequence 1 million complete human genomes.

"One million genomes represent 1,000 people each in 1,000 disease studies," Reid said. "Our customers will conduct these studies to reveal the genetic basis of all major human diseases including cancer, psychiatric and neurological diseases, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and many other poorly understood multifactorial diseases."

A key component of Complete Genomics' sequencing centre is its data centre, purpose-built to manage and analyze the staggering amount of genetic data that will be generated by sequencing thousands of human genomes. Because the data generated by a single human genome would fill 1,000 laptop computers, each with 100 GB of disk storage, data management for Complete Genomics' genome centre will be a massive undertaking. The company plans to have 10,000 processors with five petabytes (5 million gigabytes) of disk storage in 2009 and will further increase its capacity to 60,000 processors with 30 petabytes of disk storage in 2010. Complete Genomics expects to sequence 200 genomes per day by the end of 2010, making it the world's highest-throughput human genome sequencing centre. To put this in context, fewer than 20 complete human genomes have been sequenced in the world to date.