Ion Torrent Reduces Systematic Sequencing Error by 90 Percent, Cuts Template Preparation Time by More than Five-Fold with Breakthrough Technologies

CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced it has launched two breakthrough technologies under its new Ion Torrent Technology Access Program (TAP), an initiative designed to foster collaboration with the scientific community and drive innovation.

Customers can get access to the Ion Hi-Q™ Sequencing Chemistry and the Ion Isothermal Amplification Chemistry at the Technology Access Program section of the Ion Community starting today.

"We wanted to give scientists immediate access to these two technologies because of the magnitude of the performance improvements in sequencing accuracy and in template preparation time," said Maneesh Jain, Ion Torrent's vice president of Marketing. "The technology access program gives the scientific community unrestricted access to our newest and most compelling technology, which we believe will promote new discoveries and applications."

Ion Hi-Q™ Sequencing Chemistry
The new Ion Hi-Q™ Sequencing Chemistry reduces consensus insertion and deletion (indel) errors, including homopolymer errors, by 90 percent across 400 base pair read lengths on the Ion PGM™ system, resulting in higher data quality. The increased accuracy is due to breakthrough sequencing chemistry, including a new DNA polymerase that decreases indel errors. The accuracy level is maintained across long read libraries making it ideal for applications like microbial de novo assembly or targeted sequencing of long regions.

"This is clearly a major advancement," said Dr. Dag Harmsen, the head of Research at the Center for Dental, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dept. of Periodontology, the University Hospital, Munster, Germany. "The data Ion Torrent provided us from our E. coli Sakai DNA showed more than 90 percent fewer insertion and deletion errors at consensus level than we saw previously in our April 2013 Nature Biotechnology publication (Fig. 1b). We look forward to trying the new kit in our own hands." 

Data from Dr. Harmsen's Nature Biotechnology publication showed that the Ion platform performed significantly better than competitors on SNP identification and that its primary error mode was with insertions and deletions. This new Hi-Q™ chemistry demonstrates that the Ion Torrent platform can reliably detect difficult frameshift mutations.

The Ion Hi-Q™ Sequencing Chemistry will be available through the Technology Access Program in November for Ion PGM™ customers and is expected to launch in July 2014.

Ion Isothermal Amplification Chemistry 
Formerly known as Avalanche, this new, single-tube chemistry delivers isothermal amplification of 500 bp library templates in as little as 30 minutes. The complete template preparation process takes just two hours, and will enable the industry's fastest benchtop sequencing workflow, by far.  

The Ion Isothermal Amplification Chemistry will be available in Technology Access in November.

The performance noted is from early collaborations and may be refined prior to official product launch.

Some products may have not been released and are subject to change without notice.

Ion Torrent products are For Research Use Only, Not for use in diagnostic procedures

About Life Technologies 
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) is a global biotechnology company that is committed to providing the most innovative products and services to leading customers in the fields of scientific research, genetic analysis and applied sciences. With a presence in more than 180 countries, the company's portfolio of 50,000 end-to-end solutions is secured by more than 5,000 patents and licenses that span the entire biological spectrum—scientific exploration, molecular diagnostics, 21^st century forensics, regenerative medicine and agricultural research. Life Technologies has approximately 10,000 employees and had sales of $3.8 billion in 2012.

Life Technologies' Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes forward-looking statements about our anticipated results that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the information contained in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements as to industry trends and Life Technologies' plans, objectives, expectations and strategy for its business, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words "believe," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "target," "estimate," "expect" and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions ("will," "may," "could," "should," etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in filings made by Life Technologies with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Life Technologies undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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Media Contacts:
Wes Conard
Life Technologies Corporation
[email protected]  
415-385-4455

SOURCE Life Technologies Corporation