The Sequence of Sequencers: The History of Sequencing DNA

Overview

Journal Genomics

Specialty Genetics

Date 2015 Nov 12

PMID 26554401

Citations 307

Authors

James M Heather

Benjamin Chain

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Determining the order of nucleic acid residues in biological samples is an integral component of a wide variety of research applications. Over the last fifty years large numbers of researchers have applied themselves to the production of techniques and technologies to facilitate this feat, sequencing DNA and RNA molecules. This time-scale has witnessed tremendous changes, moving from sequencing short oligonucleotides to millions of bases, from struggling towards the deduction of the coding sequence of a single gene to rapid and widely available whole genome sequencing. This article traverses those years, iterating through the different generations of sequencing technology, highlighting some of the key discoveries, researchers, and sequences along the way.

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