created: 20th April 1998, last updated: 20th April 1998,© 1998 ABRF
The last few years have seen the introduction of new instrument upgrades, sequencing chemistries, new vendors for standard dye terminator kits, and new sequencing platforms. There are always questions when new technology is introduced. What old problem does the new technology solve? How much of an improvement does the new technology offer? Does the improvement justify expenditure of capital which is usually not readily available? What new problems are associated with the new technology? These are particularly important questions for core labs who sequence a variety of template types and work with researchers of varying sophistication. An analysis of the machines and chemistries being used, and the sort of results being obtained would be very useful for establishing a basis for self- evaluation and for making decisions on new technologies. To this end, the DNA Sequence Research Committee initiated its two-part 1998 study on January 23, 1998.
The goal of the first part of this study is to analyze the sequencing results that are being obtained in most labs using a standard pGEM template and their current standard chemistry and run conditions. The sequencing results are submitted to an FTP site and a webform sample survey is completed requesting the exact details of the run conditions for each submitted sample.
The second part of the study is a general survey to "take the pulse" of the DNA sequencing world. The goal of this part of the study is to look at questions more related to organizational aspects of DNA sequencing laboratories.
Our goal is to create a web site for comparing a standard template sequenced under various protocols; i.e. an on-line repository of sequence results and the conditions used to generate them that will allow researchers to compare, anonymously, the quality of their sequence data with that of colleagues. In addition, we hope that being able to see the results other labs are getting may help you make crucial decisions regarding equipment upgrades and/or chemistry changes.
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