| Team Name: | ZS Genetics, Inc. |
| Team Leader: | William R. Glover III |
| Country: | United States |
| Website: | http://zsgenetics.com/ |
| Company Overview: | [ PDF ] |
Company Profile:
ZS Genetics, Inc. is a privately-held company based in Massachusetts that is developing a fundamentally different technology platform for use in genetic sequencing and genetic analysis in general. The Company has passed critical development milestones and is now preparing to commercialize its technology.
The breakthrough technology developed by ZSG has the potential to change the multi-billion dollar marketplace dynamic for genetic analyses, including enabling widespread adoption of genomics-based medicine, and driving important innovation in disease research, drug discovery, forensics, environmental impact studies, agriculture, anthropology and history.
Although remarkable advances have been made in the development of genomic information, further advances in the utilization of these data are seriously constrained by the significant costs (particularly per use costs), slow speed and lack of specificity of current technologies.
ZSG believes its technology overcomes these challenges and takes pioneering leaps forward. The advantages include:
- Long base pair read read-lengths - allows long repeating patterns in a genetic code to be detected that are otherwise missed; a revolutionary advancement in research capabilities for discovering genetic components of major diseases, such as cancer.
- High Quality - provides for detailed images of individual DNA molecules from single molecule, single cell samples, eliminating the need for sample amplification and numerous repeated biochemistry cycles, with the associated errors that can result.
- High Speed - enables significant reduction in time for entire genome sequence analysis; expected to be days compared to months.
- Very Low Costs - fully weighted total running costs, including amortized capital costs, for initial product are expected to be under $70,000 for a high-quality, fully assembled human genome, with extremely low consumables and bioinformatics costs.
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Description of Proposed Sequencing Methodology:
The technology platform directly creates detailed images of individual DNA or RNA molecules. ZS Genetics patented processes are based on the use of modified transmission electron microscopes and atomic labeling to achieve the resolution necessary for genetic analysis of individual molecules. ZSG believes its patented technology will have a major impact in genetic sequencing and other genetic analysis markets.
Our team has combined five existing commercially proven and available technologies: (1) Polymerase Chain Reaction (“PCR”); (2) The electron microscope; (3) High speed digital imaging; (4) Silicon chip technology; and (5) machine vision. This approach is similar to the path the inventors of the “CAT Scan” and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies took when they combined X-ray technology with computer technologies to come up with revolutionary diagnostic tools. The ZSG intellectual property focuses on the nexus of these technologies with several design innovations to allow them to be repurposed for the Company’s approach.
ZSG projects that its high through-put “Third Generation” technology will result in low cost, high quality genetic sequencing with the exceptional advantage of long base pair read-lengths. The Company’s technology is expected to allow genetic researchers to be able to sequence a whole human genome in days instead of months, and for thousands of dollars instead of millions.
Team Quote:
Humanity is about to enter a new era of discovery. Across the globe, researchers are working to solve some of the greatest mysteries of life. But that future won’t happen by itself.
Significant obstacles stand in the way. Many methods are being tried to overcome them. History shows that often the greatest breakthroughs come when problems are approached differently, resulting in fresh, creative solutions.
That is one of the great values of the Archon Genomics X Prize competition. This competition isn’t about consensus or the tried and true. This is a race! The impetus of races like these, favors the resourceful and the bold. The Archon Genomics X Prize competition provides exactly the focus and immediacy needed to drive pioneers forward. But it’s a race that everyone wins. Whichever team receives the Prize, all humanity will share in the advances that are made by these teams.
