Mini GA on the way. Illumina to transition array users to sequencing

[ECO]

In Sequence/GenomeWeb have another article regarding an upcoming new product from Illumina, which appears to be basically a mini Genome Analyzer. An excerpt of the article is below:

from Julia Karow @ In Sequence:

Illumina is developing a new sequencing module for its iScan array scanner that it expects to launch later this year, according to company officials.

The firm recently disclosed details about the new product, called the iScan sequencing module, on its website. It will allow existing array customers to perform sequencing experiments at a lower instrument cost and throughput than the Genome Analyzer.

The company is targeting the module toward core labs that are "looking to increase the breadth of [their] offering to include small next-generation sequencing projects," as well as individual academic labs wanting to perform both array and sequencing experiments, an Illumina spokesperson told In Sequence.

The list price for the module is $130,000, considerably cheaper than the GA, which has a price tag on the order of $400,000 to $500,000. Not included in this price are an iScan-compatible cluster station and data processing and analysis tools, both necessary to run the sequencing module, according to the website.

[BioGeek]

i think that "mini Genome Analyzer" might be a little misleading. my read of the product brochure suggests you need the iScan scanner to use this add-on sequencing module. so the module might only be $130k but the scanner is $200k+ last i'd heard. it's more of a way for people to do genotyping to get into sequencing than a mini-sequencer for general use, as the thread title suggests. it's a little confusing the way it's written in GW, i think.

[westerman]

I have also been told that the cost per base is much higher than a normal GA. In which case then why bother? An lower entry cost barrier just won't make much difference in the long run.

[ECO]

i think that "mini Genome Analyzer" might be a little misleading. my read of the product brochure suggests you need the iScan scanner to use this add-on sequencing module. so the module might only be $130k but the scanner is $200k+ last i'd heard. it's more of a way for people to do genotyping to get into sequencing than a mini-sequencer for general use, as the thread title suggests. it's a little confusing the way it's written in GW, i think.

If you have the array scanner collecting dust, it seems like an alternative to spending $600k. The thread title suggests "transition", which is exactly how you described it.