About the DNA Sequencing Facility

The DNA sequencing facility in the Biochemistry Department was started in 1993 under the direction of Professor Peter Leadlay as a CCMR facility but funded and equipped largely by grants held by Professor Leadlay. Since that time the Facility has developed rapidly as the ability to sequence genes has become a pervasive and essential tool in all areas of biological research. The scale of the projects tackled now ranges from the validation of single mutations in individual genes up to sequencing of entire microbial genomes. We have continually updated the equipment, in order to maximise the information obtained and to minimise turn-around time, and to make the Facility as user-friendly as possible.

Currently, sequencing is carried out on an Applied Biosystems 3730xl DNA Analyser, which utilises a 96 capillary array and on which 96 reactions may be run in approximately two and a half hours. Each reaction potentially gives up to 800 nucleotides of sequence from high quality templates. Results are usually sent by e-mail to customers.

Facility staff have expertise in most aspects of DNA sequence analysis and can offer help and advice to both experienced researchers and to beginners. We welcome proposals for large-scale projects as well as for more routine small-scale sequencing.

In 2008, the Facility obtained it's first Next-Generation sequencing platform, the Roche 454 GS FLX. The GS FLX features the unique combination of long reads and high throughput, which makes the system well suited for larger genomic projects. In 2011, the GS FLX was upgraded to enable sequencing with read lengths of up to 1 kb. Since that time we have also invested in a Roche FLX Junior sequencer for smaller projects and faster turnaround times. We are currently awaiting the arrival of an Illumina MiSeq sequencer to offer the shorter read technology to our customers. Next-Generation sequencing has a wide range of applications including Whole Genome Sequencing, Transcriptome Sequencing, Amplicon Sequencing, Sequence Capture and Metagenomics Sequencing.

Opening times

Staff