About 454
Overview
454 Life Sciences, a center of excellence of Roche Applied Science, develops and commercializes the innovative Genome Sequencer™ system for ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing. Specific applications include de novo sequencing and re-sequencing of genomes, metagenomics, RNA analysis, and targeted sequencing of DNA regions of interest. The hallmarks of 454 Sequencing™ are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and long, highly accurate sequence reads, including paired reads. 454's current system, the Genome Sequencer FLX with GS FLX Titanium series reagents generates 400 million high quality bases per 10 hour instrument run. 454 Sequencing technology has enabled hundreds of peer-reviewed studies in diverse research fields such as cancer and infectious disease research, drug discovery, marine biology, anthropology, paleontology and many more.
About Roche and the Roche Diagnostics Division
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 33.3 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 75,000 worldwide and has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche's Diagnostics Division offers a uniquely broad product portfolio and supplies a wide array of innovative testing products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals and laboratories world-wide. For further information, please visit the website at www.roche.com.
Timeline
| June 2000 | 454 Life Sciences is founded |
| October 2005 | Release of the Genome Sequencer 20, the first next-generation sequencing system on the market |
| October 2005 | Collaboration agreement signed with Roche Diagnostics |
| December 2005 | 454 Life Sciences Awarded the Wall Street Journal's Gold Medal for Innovation |
| November 2006 | 454 Life Sciences, in collaboration with Svante Paabo, describes in Nature the first million base pairs of the Neanderthal genome and initiates the Neanderthal Genome Project. |
| January 2007 | Release of the Genome Sequencer FLX System |
| March 2007 | Roche Diagnostics completes integration with 454 Life Sciences |
| May 2007 | Complete sequence of Jim Watson published in Nature. First genome to be sequenced for less than $1 million. |
| November 2007 | Announcement of the 100th peer-reviewed publication enabled by 454 Sequencing |
| June 2008 | 454 Joins the 1000 Genome Project, an international effort to build the most detailed map to date of human genetic variation as a tool for medical research |
| September 2008 | Announcement of the 250th peer-reviewed publication enabled by 454 Sequencing |
| October 2008 | Release of Genome Sequencer FLX Titanium Series reagents, featuring 1 million reads at 400 base pairs in length |