Approximately $14.5 million in grants awarded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) will help fund new DNA sequencing projects through its Advanced DNA Sequencing Technology program. The projects focus on “micro-sized technologies, such as nanopores and microfluidics,” according to a prepared statement.
"While we continue to support many research projects centered on the development of nanopore technology, some of the new grants focus on additional unique approaches to sequencing DNA," said Jeffery Schloss, PhD, NHGRI’s genome technology program director and director of the division of genome sciences. "Despite discussion about approaching the goal of sequencing a genome for only $1,000, many challenges remain in terms of containing costs and achieving a high quality of DNA sequencing data."
The grants fund research projects that aim to improve how nanopores are used in DNA sequencing or to create “nanopore arrays to enable large-scale DNA sequencing efforts,” according to NHGRI.
This new collection of grants builds on the 10-year history of the Advanced DNA Sequencing Technology program. "There haven't been many programs like this anywhere else over the years," Schloss said in the statement. "NHGRI has had a hand in supporting some very novel research, and has helped chart exciting new directions for DNA sequencing technology."
Read the full NIH release for the full list of awardees, which includes grantees at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, among others.