The sequence of sequencers: The history of sequencing DNA

Type Journal Article Author James M. Heather Author Benjamin Chain URL https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4727787/ Volume 107 Issue 1 Pages 1-8 Publication Genomics ISSN 0888-7543 Date 2016-1 Extra PMID: 26554401 PMCID: PMC4727787 Journal Abbr Genomics DOI 10.1016/j.ygeno.2015.11.003 Library Catalog PubMed Central 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., • We review the drastic changes to DNA sequencing technology over the last 50 years. • First-generation methods enabled sequencing of clonal DNA populations. • The second-generation massively increased throughput by parallelizing many reactions. • Third-generation methods allow direct sequencing of single DNA molecules. Short Title The sequence of sequencers